Annual Report Feb 16 2021

4, which were summarized in Ref 5)
With contributions from the
BYU Community including:
PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
The Problem
Anxiety and Depression
Burnout
Worsening mental health
symptoms
Suicidal Thoughts
Stress and Worry
Loneliness
What Can I Do?
Prioritize your physical and
mental health.
A 10-minute walk, mindful
meditation, and yoga can do
wonders for improving your
emotional health and feelings
of fatigue. Participate in
regular exercise, eat well,
and get enough sleep.
Be aware of others around you.
Check in with your friends, neighbors and loved
ones frequently and genuinely ask how
they’re doing.
If you’re worried about your loved
one’s wellbeing, there are many mental
health resources available such as NAMI
(National Alliance on Mental Illness:
https://www.nami.org/) and the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-
8255). If you’re worried that your loved
one may be at immediate risk for
hurting themselves, call 911.
Author: Ali Crandall, PhD Public Health, BYU
Mental health and family health
With contributions from the
BYU Community including:
PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
How can we have better mental
health during COVID-19?
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
Many people feel isolated and
restrained during COVID-19. As
the weather turns colder and the
hours of sunlight decrease, it is
also natural for feelings of anxiety,
depression, and other emotional
concerns to increase.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Masks
Engage in safe social activities.
We need each other. There are social With things contributions from the
BYU Community including:
that we can still do in safe
PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
ways. Just remember to
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
wear a mask, stay 6-feet
apart, wash your hands,
Why should I wear a face mask?
and ask your contacts to do
the same. Go on a walk or
Masks prevent infected people from
Wearing masks reduces the transmission of
spreading the virus by trapping the
meet with friends at a park,
COVID-19 and decreases the severity of
respiratory droplets that are produced
or look for well-ventilated
the disease even when infection occurs.
when we cough, speak, and breathe.
indoor spaces where you
Masks also protect the wearer from
can physically distance and wear your masks.
other people’s particles by mechanical
Wearing a well-fitting mask over your
and electrostatic filtration. By trapping
mouth and nose can stop 90% or more
particles and dispersing our breath,
Seek professional assistance of when the droplets and aerosols carrying the
masks can protect us and those around us
virus.
needed.
from COVID-19.
With contributions from the
BYU Community including:
We all need help from time to time. If you or
PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
a loved one are in need of guidance regarding
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
your mental health and well-being, find a What face mask
How should I wear my
professional by asking your doctor, using should I choose?
face mask?
What is COVID-19 Long Haul Syndrome?
online resources such as findatherapist.com
After getting COVID-19, recovering from the viral infection, or even testing negative for
or asking trusted
the virus, some people continue to have COVID-19-related symptoms for several weeks or
friends and family
months or develop new COVID-19-related symptoms. We call this COVID-19 long haul
for a referral.
syndrome, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, or long COVID.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The COVID-19 Vaccines
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
How do I know the
How do I talk to
COVID-19 Vaccine is safe?
loved ones who
do not want to
Each approved vaccine has
get the vaccine?
completed three levels of
trials, involving tens of
thousands of volunteers.
1. Listen Not just a pandemic, an
Although mild side effects (like
2. Understand
With contributions from the
infodemic!!
pain at the injection site
BYU Community 3. including: Talk about why
PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
lasting less than a day,
it’s important.
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
or feeling “off ” for a day
4. Discuss how they
or so) is common, severe
feel about it.
allergic reactions are very
What 5. is Repeat the problem?
Why is it a problem?
rare, about 2 for every million
people. This is monitored very
• An infodemic is an excessive
• A tsunami of misinformation
carefully. For example, in one
amount of information about
has contributed to increased
trial, two people in England had
If your loved a problem ones are like worried COVID-19 about
COVID-19 burden in the US.
a possible severe side effect: they
getting the making vaccine, it hard they to may sort out
• Misinformation can lead to
have one
stopped the trial until they could be
of several different what is accurate concerns. and what The is
attitudes such as,
best
sure it wasn’t caused by the vaccine.
way to talk not.
to someone about it is to
With contributions from the
• Easy access to cell phones and
BYU Community
including:
make sure they have been heard PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
social media make it easy
understood, then talk to them about
to spread misinformation,
why you think the vaccine is important.
Will I need to get COVID-19
drowning out reliable
Some concerns
information
can be
about
factually
COVID-19.
dealt
Vaccines each year like I do with (for • example, Prominent the public vaccines figures do not
. These perceptions lead
for the u?
change your (e.g., DNA politicians, or contain celebrities, aborted
to
lack of desire to practice
We don’t know if we will need to get a new vaccine
fetuses), but etc.) most make of up the 20 time percent hitting of the
prevention measures.
every year. It depends on how much the virus changes.
SARS-CoV-2 is less changeable than the flu virus,
people with misinformation, facts will not but change account their
for
• People fail to practice
minds. If they 69 percent are heard, of the social understood, media
prevention due to
and cared engagement. about, they will Be critical be more of where
misinformation, thus
but more than some other viruses. It’s still a young
likely to listen your to information you what is you coming have from.
increasing the spread of the
virus in humans, so we will have to wait and see. Influenza
has many ways of changing that SARS-CoV-2
to say. Remember to discuss ideas, not
disease.
attack people. Calling someone stupid
does not, so hopefully one round of vaccines will be or blind only causes them to become
enough!
defensive.
What is the solution?
Author: Brian Poole, PhD, Microbiology and Molecular Biology; Jamie Jensen, PhD, Biology, BYU
Vaccine hesitancy, attitudes towards vaccination, virology
1. Look for facts and Page evidence 5 and consider the sources of information
2. Choose carefully by only sharing or liking content from trusted sources
3. Be cautious by not sharing or liking false information you know is not true
4. Be a good example by correcting or calling out others who post untrue information
COVID-19
5. Spend less time online
Fact Checking
How common is COVID-19 long
What are the most common
mon
haul syndrome?
persistent symptoms?
COVID-19 long haul syndrome appears to be quite
- fatigue
Page 1
common, but we do not yet know how common.
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Estimates from different studies range from
Less commonly reported rted persistent
10% of COVID-19 patients to over 80%
symptoms include:
With contributions from the
of COVID-19 patients have persistent
- memory loss
BYU Community including:
symptoms several weeks to months after
- difficulty concentrating PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
their initial infection. (Refs 1-7)
- psychological distress
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
- trouble sleeping
What treatments
- joint pain
Most of us have had the experience of meeting someone in an obscure place only to discover that we had
Are Masks Safe? are available for
- chest pain
a common friend or relative. It’s a small world! Although most of us spend about two-thirds of our social
Masks are safe for almost all people COVID-19 to wear. long haul
- loss of smell and taste
(based on 4 studies of hospitalized patients time in Europe
with a collection of around 15 family members and friends1, the remaining one-third can be spent with
They do not increase carbon dioxide syndrome?
or decrease
(totaling about 500 people), the most common scores persistent
symptoms of people ple reported 2-3 month after
their initial illness travel and other interactions. One interaction within our social circles connects us to many others, who are
(Refs 1-4, which were summarized in Ref 5)
more through larger social circles created through work, church, shopping, sporting events, theatre,
oxygen in wearers.
At present, there are no standard
If you have questions on whether wearing treatments a for COVID-19 long haul
syndrome. (Refs 8-9)
in turn connected to others, and so on, making the world... small.
mask is safe for you please talk to your doctor.
Will people believe that I am still sick?
COVID-19 takes advantage of these networks to spread across communities, states, and nations.
In early 2020, COVID-19 long haul syndrome was not widely recognized as a legitimate condition. This lack of awareness and
Author: Benjamin W. Abbott, PhD, Plant and Wildlife Sciences, BYU
An infectious person spreads the disease within his or her social circle, and members of that social circle
understanding led to gaslighting of many early COVID-19 long haul patients by family members, friends, employers, and doctors, who
Environmental Health, Environmental Science
did not believe that the persistent symptoms could be real. (Ref 10) This is likely still occurring. However, as information has infect emerged others, and soon tens of thousands are infectious or sick! In contrast, prevent spread.
Research Assistant Authors: Mitchell Greenhalgh, S. Isaac St. Clair, Jonas Bush
over Page the past 2 several months about people who experience persistent symptoms, COVID-19 long haul syndrome is becoming In a better
social bubble, we interact only with our closest family members and friends. Members of social bubbles
recognized in the medical community and in the public as a valid condition that warrants appropriate consideration.
rarely connect with members of other social bubbles (unless they are masked and socially distanced),
drastically decreasing the reach and the speed with which infection occurs.
Where can I look for support?
Grassroots online support groups allow people to connect with others to discuss their experiences with COVID-19 long haul drome, for example https://www.facebook.com/groups/COVIDLongHaulers/ and https://www.wearebodypolitic.com/covid19.
ic.com/covid19. Forming Effective Social
syn-
Bubbles
References:
• Pan American Health Organization. (2020). Understanding the infodemic and misinformation in the fight against COVID-19. https://iris.paho.org/bitstream/
handle/10665.2/52052/Factsheet-infodemic_eng.pdf
• Tasnim, S., Hossain, M., & Mazumbder, H. (2020). Impact of rumors and misinformation on the COVID-19 in social media. Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53,
171-174. https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO202016151586109.pdf
• Bagherpour, A. & Nouri, A. (2020). COVID Misinformation is Killing People: This “Infodemic” Has to Stop. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.
com/article/covid-misinformation-is-killing-people1/
• Brennen J.S., Simon, F., Howard, P.N., & Nielsen, R.K. (2020) Types, sources, and claims of COVID-19 misinformation. Reuters Institute for the Study of
Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/types-sources-and-claims-covid-19-misinformation
• World Health Organization. (2020). Infodemic Management. https://www.who.int/teams/risk-communication/infodemic-management
For More Information:
1. Carvalho-Schneider C, et al. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020 Oct 5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33031948/
2. Garrigues E, et al. J Infect. 2020 Dec. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32853602/
3. Carfi A, et al. JAMA. 2020 Aug 11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32644129/
4. Halpin SJ, et al. J Med Virol. 2020 Jul 30. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32729939/
5. Infectious Disease Society. 2020 Nov 19. https://www.idsociety.org/covid-19-real-time-learning-network/disease-manifestations--complications/post-covid-syndrome/
ications/post-covid-syndrome/
6. Tenforde MW, et al. MMWR. 2020 Jul 31. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32730238/
7. Greenhalgh T, et al. BMJ. 2020 Aug 11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32784198/
8. NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines, Clinical Spectrum. 2020 Dec 17. https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/overview/clinical-spectrum/
ical-spectrum/
9. Marshall M. Nature. 2020 Sep. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32929257/
10. Yong E. The Atlantic. 2020 Aug 19. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/long-haulers-covid-19-recognition-support-groups-symptoms/615382/
oups-symptoms/615382/
p
Author: Evan Thacker, PhD, Public Health, BYU
Epidemiologist
How do I know when I need to
wear a mask?
COVID-19 Infopacket
Dr. Sloan helped lead a project involving
faculty members across the BYU campus
as well as in our own department to
put together an information packet on
COVID-19.
Frequently Asked Questions:
“Long Haul Syndrome”
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
With contributions from the
BYU Community including:
PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
Page 3
How can we prevent COVID-19
from spreading to others?
References:
https://www.ft.com/content/c5ce0834-9a64-11e8-9702-5946bae86e6d
Author: Michael A. Goodrich, PhD, Computer Science, BYU
Computer modeling of human interaction networks
Student Editors: Puneet Jain, Aadesh Neupane, Calix Barrus, and Alexander Anthon.
How do I stay safe while
meeting people in person?
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
You can encourage healthy decision making by making sure those you oversee have accurate
information about COVID-19 transmission and risks. You can also help epfind safe eways
to connect
online or outside while observing social distancing. Outdoor gatherings can be fun even in winter.
Perhaps we can all learn from the Scandinavian saying: “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing!”
Holding in-person, indoor events with people outside your household is strongly discouraged.
With contributions from the
BYU Community including:
PWS, CS, MMBIO, BYU Law
Page 4
Which vaccine is right for me?
Graphic Design by Tanya Gale, BYU Department of Public Health
Author: Carl Hanson PhD, Public Health, BYU
Health Promotion Specialist
Page 6
Author: Chantel Sloan PhD, Public Health, BYU
Respiratory infectious disease epidemiology
Check current
local guidelines and
laws about social
gatherings
https://www.freepik.com/vectors/people
Page 7
Social distance
and wear
masks
Meet outdoors
when possible
Be clear and ddiscu
discuss
expectations ectations about
staying
safe before
the in-person
meeting
Full Infopacket can be found at
Ph.byu.edu
Author: Lisa Grow Sun J.D., BYU Law school
https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/people
p p
Page 8
Author: Chantel Sloan PhD, Public Health, BYU
Respiratory infectious disease epidemiology
Page 9
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