By Melina Harris

AS the world continues to be gripped by COVID-19 and the implications of a highly contagious global pandemic, the impact on our lives cannot be more profound. As cases continue to increase in Guyana, more extensive measures have now been implemented to keep Guyanese safe as we all come to terms with the seriousness of this pandemic. Although we have relatively few cases of COVID-19 confirmed, sadly, we have lost four lives to this pandemic in a very short space of time. We have also seen that COVID-19 is indiscriminate in its attack on us, affecting citizens of all ages, races and political persuasions. The time for Guyanese to unite in a concerted effort to stave off COVIDn19 is now more necessary than ever.

In most cities around the world, everything deemed non-essential has been closed down. Only hospitals, supermarkets, pharmacies and a handful of other key services remain open. Most people who work are now working remotely and those who are unable are either not working at all, or rotationally. The message is clear that we must practise social distancing and maintain hygiene standards in order to stop COVID-19 from taking over our population.

The World Health Organization has been providing daily briefings to keep everyone informed on the latest updates including confirmed cases of the disease and resultant deaths. Most ABCE nations are also providing daily briefing on what measures governments are taking in order to stop the spread of the disease. We are being flooded with information on COVID-19 from all sides as the relevant local and international health organisations proliferate their messages.

Though a largely physical ailment, COVID-19 will nonetheless have an impact of our mental health and our ability to cope with the reality in which we are currently living. The overabundance of information from reliable and trusted sources is staggering. This, in addition to the plethora of information circulating on social media is immense. Depending on how much information we consume, we might experience this pandemic in very different ways.

We have already covered in this column the effect that social media has on our mental health; however, it remains particularly relevant during this current pandemic. Now more than ever, people all around the world are turning to social media to stay informed and in touch with relatives, friends and loved ones. You cannot help but to tune into social media, whether it’s WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, we are connecting now more than ever. But could it be more to our detriment than to our benefit? I will argue the latter.

I have already covered information pertaining to social media and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and social isolation in this column. In short, as little as 30 minutes spent on social media platforms can increase your probability of suffering from any of the above-listed mental health conditions, according to various studies on the issue. Simply put, social media use affects our mental health, whether we are aware of it or not. In the current circumstances, we are using social media platforms perhaps more than we ordinarily would, but because most of us have been advised to stay at home, we are choosing to reach out in this way more than ever. As such, our exposure to COVID-19 cannot be avoided.

Whilst it is important to be informed and be limit t up to date on relevant information, we must also try to limit the amount of information we consume and time we spend on social media. It can be more damaging than we may think. The effect of anxiety on the body is quite debilitating for the average individual. Common- signs and symptoms are excessive worrying, feeling agitated, restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, trouble sleeping and panic attacks. Whilst it is normal for us all to experience some level of any of the above symptoms, the extent and effect on our lives would indicate whether we might be suffering from this condition. I would argue that most of us have experienced a number of these symptoms along with some degree of hypochondria since COVID-19 attached our species thus. Nonetheless, I would humbly submit that we all try to limit the amount of time we spend on social media and the amount of content we consume, especially as it pertains to COVID-19.

Aside from the very real health implications of contracting COVID-19, many are confronted with financial worries as the economy is brought to halt as we all do our part in trying to stem the spread of the disease. For those who are affected, I would encourage you to remain faithful that our worries will soon be allayed and that our government is working around the clock to ensure that we are all able to weather this storm. Additionally, civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and private citizens have shown extreme generosity in the current situation. Guyanese are the most warm-hearted and resilient people and we will not allow anyone to suffer during this pandemic. As always, we will pull together and help those in need.