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Strategies to protect your mental health during Coronavirus Pandemic

No matter where you are in the world, this current Coronavirus Pandemic is a tough time for everyone. From cancelled events to school closures to constant bombardment of news or updates, social distancing may make it feel like you are not even ‘active’ or ‘presence’ in your life or let alone your social life. From usual habits of chatting with your co-workers or friends to even your regular fitness routines, there are things that may feel missing and lost during this time which anxiety and worry may have filled.... Read more about Strategies to protect your mental health during Coronavirus Pandemic

Takes a Village: Giving Personal Protective Equipment to Health Care Workers

It was only matter of time until the general public were made aware of the resources shortages, especially with personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers. Though initially in the pandemic, stockpiles of resources like PPEs were being bought largely by consumers and companies which made stocking up inventory for hospital systems a little difficult to do to plan for future demands. Let alone the possible price gouging happening now to buy from regular suppliers due to the high demand and short supply of PPE. It is exciting that Zara, Christian Siriano and others in the clothing industry are stepping up to make or donate scrubs and other items. Still, we hit the part of the pandemic where supplies are running out faster than it could be made available and the rates of coronavirus cases are exponentially increasing.

Reminder, it is urgent to remain at home and that is a good way to help (social distancing) but if you want to do more to help while remaining at home, especially solving the PPE shortage, there are several ways you can help.... Read more about Takes a Village: Giving Personal Protective Equipment to Health Care Workers

Myth Busting the Coronavirus Disease – Part 1

Over the weekend, I had a catch-up phone call with a colleague about the ongoing pandemic which sparked an important topic to cover today: busting myths about Coronavirus. Yesterday, I posted about the infodemic occurring in this pandemic and in times, when not enough accurate information is available and/or shared, it leaves an opening for mostly anything to be shared and pass through as "factual."... Read more about Myth Busting the Coronavirus Disease – Part 1

Infodemic: Rise of Misinformation

With a rise of infections and deaths with the coronavirus (now 266,073 cases with 11,184 deaths worldwide), this pandemic is also fueling a growing 'infodemic'. Giving way to a sea of misinformation, this 'infodemic' is mainly stemming from fear, uncertainty and even opportunistic marketing. In an era where ‘information’ is just a tweet away, the spread and acceptance of coronavirus misinformation can easily be facilitated without much thought along with individuals making a profit and getting others to adopt certain practices. The challenge is how do we maintain and build trust during a pandemic, in a way where we can combat the misinformation, help those in the community and uplift the public who should be listening to good, trustworthy science – which still do exist.

Severity of A Pandemic: How deadly is COVID-19?

The big scary question in a crisis revolving a disease is how bad is the disease? When in midst of a crisis (like we are now), the answer really depends on whether you are looking at the fatality rate (the risk of death among those who are infected) or the total number of cases and deaths. For both information, the assumption is that a good coverage of the population is being tested, so evidence can be built. In the United States, at the time of this publication, the roll out and ramping up of testing has not covered much of the population yet. There is a strong chance that the current numbers being shared are lower than the actual amount present in the United States.

Generation COVID: Time to Connect

Thank you to all those who have contacted and trusting me. For those looking and needing help, I am happy to continue to help where I can.

Sonny Patel speaking in India 2020.

Over the last few months, COVID-19, commonly known as the Coronavirus, has been spreading worldwide. Debates (and even controversies) followed this spread about the severity and impact of this virus. Fearmongering or scaremongering is not something that I take lightly but from the latest scientific reports, it is a conservative statement to say the following: Coronavirus epidemic is a severe public health emergency for citizens, societies and economies.

Public involvement needed in building resilient cities

News that the Trump administration is seeking to limit the science on climate change has been recently announced, nearly two years after U.S. President Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. In contrast, South Africa and its reelected President Cyril Ramaphosa have recently signed a new tax on carbon emissions, effective on June 1, 2019, as in alignment with Paris Climate Agreement.

Both the U.S. and South Africa have experienced environmental challenges, with the recent floods in the American Midwest and KwaZulu-Natal (SA) to drought...

Partnerships and knowledge transfer needed when facing floods

We have seen the need for further work and focus in countries anticipating future flooding to include community resilience-building activities and stronger emphasis on accountable partnerships, continued knowledge transfers and social networks to connect communities before the next severe flood hits.

Avoiding the ongoing political conversation about climate change and ill-conceived development, severe floods are continuing to harm communities around the world. Unprecedented levels of floods have occurred during the last few weeks in Iran, southwest Africa, south China's...

Sonny S. Patel

Public Health Executive, Board of Director, U.S. NIH Fogarty Global Health Scholar