Yesterday, the United Nations warned that the Covid-19 pandemic could spark a major global mental health crisis, calling for urgent action to address the psychological problems caused by the virus. Meanwhile, the European Union health agency announced that a vaccine against "Covid-19" will be ready within a year, in the best case scenario.
In detail, the United Nations said that the emerging Corona virus crisis, and despite the focus on the part of states to protect physical health during the first months of the crisis, but it also puts enormous mental stress on a large number of the world's population.
"After decades of neglect and underinvestment in mental health services, the Covid-19 epidemic is now burdening families and societies with additional psychological pressure," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video message.
"Even when the epidemic is controlled, sadness, anxiety and depression will continue to affect people and societies," he added.
The UN report highlights the psychological stress of people who fear they or their loved ones will become infected or die with the virus that has killed nearly 300,000 people worldwide since its appearance in China late last year.
He also mentioned the psychological impact on large numbers of people who have lost their work or are at risk of losing it, separated from their loved ones or have experienced strict closures.
"We know that the current conditions, fear, uncertainties, and economic turmoil may cause psychological distress," said Devora Kestel, head of the mental health and substance abuse department at the World Health Organization, during an online press conference.
Noting reports of a high incidence of suicide among medical workers, Kestel said that health care workers and first responders working under "tremendous stress" are at greater risk than others.
Other groups face psychological challenges also caused by the crisis, such as students who are out of school, who face uncertainty and anxiety, as well as women who face an increased risk of exposure to domestic violence.
Likewise, the elderly and people with psychological problems, who are considered to be at particular risk of contracting the virus, are under increasing pressure from infection. And the report released yesterday mentioned a group of national studies that indicate that mental disorder is increasing rapidly.
In The Hague, the European Union health agency announced yesterday that a vaccine against "Covid-19" will be ready within a year, in the best of scenarios, based on data currently available on ongoing research.
"We see the possibility that there will be a vaccine ready for licensing after a year from today, if everything goes as planned," the agency's biological health and vaccine strategy official, Marco Cavalieri, told a video conference.
In terms of deaths and injuries, the United States recorded 1,813 new deaths from the Corona virus over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 84 thousand and 59 deaths, according to figures published by Johns Hopkins University.
In Madrid, the Spanish Ministry of Health stated that the daily number of new deaths from the Corona virus exceeded 200 yesterday, for the first time since May 8.
Russia recorded less than 10 thousand cases of the emerging coronavirus, yesterday, for the first time since the beginning of May.
The number of confirmed injuries during the past 24 hours reached 9974 cases in Russia, the second country in the world in terms of the number of injured, with 252 thousand and 245 cases. Germany has reported more than 172,000 new cases of the Corona virus (Covid 19) as of yesterday morning.
The United Nations: Stress and mental disorders are two other signs that accompany the Corona virus.