08/17/2021

As Restrictions Shift, Americans Struggle With The Return Of Pandemic Anxiety

How to deal with renewed COVID anxieties

Many people were calling this the "hot vax summer," as growing vaccination numbers against the coronavirus meant a rebound in travel, and early summer CDC guidance said it was safe to return to eating indoors at restaurants and bars.

"I think people were starting to think that there's a light at the end of the tunnel in the spring," said Dr. Lucy McBride, a primary care physician in Washington, D.C. "People were getting vaccinated. Case rates and hospitalization rates from COVID-19 were dropping. And we knew at that moment in the spring, through accumulated evidence, that kids are protected at least in part by being surrounded by immune-vaccinated or naturally immune adults."

Things look starkly different now. The highly contagious delta variant is driving a new surge of COVID-19 cases throughout the country. Masks mandates are back, and instead of experiencing nerves over re-learning how to socialize with people in person, many are dealing with feelings of anxiety, frustration and grief, knowing that this pandemic is far from over.

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