What is COVID fatigue and why you should be wary of it

As people have started stepping out of their homes mostly for work after six months of being locked inside health experts caution them against COVID fatigue Describing it as a sneaky health wrecker doctors say people might not even realise when the COVID fatigue sets in and in the process let their guard down against the threat of novel CoronavirusSpeaking to midday the health experts explain in length about COVID fatigue and how it might adversely affect our fight against the pandemicDr Wiqar Shaikh senior asthma and allergy specialist said COVID19 has taken a heavy toll on the public psyche People are now feeling demotivated about following established and recommended preventive guidelines against novel Coronavirus He said as the lockdown began people thought it was going to be brief but a complete end to the lockdown is not in sight Let us be very clear that the pandemic is not going away anytime soon Therefore it is important to realise that we simply cannot let our guards down he addedBoth mental physicalDr Shaikh added Fatigue a feeling of being extremely tired could be either physical or mental or both The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 60 per cent of the world population are now affected by pandemic fatigue The psychology behind pandemic fatigue is that the fear of the virus which was the initial motivating factor wears off as people adapt to the possible threatWomen commuters head towards the subway at CSMT station on Wednesday File pic Suresh KarkeraIn India particularly carelessness has become more evident with people stepping out of their homes without wearing masks and not following social distancing measures In the past few weeks I have met several patients who said they dont care about contracting the virus and this is a classic example of pandemic fatigue Dr Wiqar saidCant be left uncheckedDr Subhash Hira professor of Global Health at the University of Washington and former health specialist of the World Bank and WHO and currently the health adviser to several UN Indian and African health agencies said I am of the opinion that the fight against the pandemic is the most disorganised one because all stakeholders were caught unawares despite having prior inkling of what was to come Multiplicity of untested diverse interventions have reduced trust in the general public and healthcare systems credibility to such an extent that not many seem to be sure of what to do next This burnout and fatigue exhibit themselves in several ways such as emotional exhaustion reduced sense of personal accomplishment or meaning in life mental exhaustion decreased interactions with others isolation depersonalisation symptoms disconnected from real causes and physical exhaustionDr Hira added Left unchecked pandemic fatigue can lead to two consequences poor performance and poor health People show poor judgement make errors and less than desirable interactions with family and friends Personally they may suffer physical ailments such as headaches and gastrointestinal problems and exhibit psychosocial traits such as apathy detachment depression and irritability They may also be impacted by a lack of willingness to observe the COVID prevention guidelines disturbed sleep loss of selfworth loss of hope and changes in their worldview and spiritualityDr Hira I am afraid that the world is probably losing patience and will turn towards spirituality yoga and the likes to deal with pandemic fatigueHealthcare workers affected tooDr Ketan Vagholkar professor of surgery at D Y Patil Medical College said COVID fatigue has already set in and is seen both in healthcare workers and the publicThere is complacency in following basic preventive guidelines such as wearing a mask maintaining safe physical distance and frequent hand wash During festivals it has been observed that these three basic preventive measures have not been followed diligently This can lead to another spike in casesWe are probably in the last phase of our fight against COVID19 Therefore it is advisable to continue with the same preventive measures till we finally succeed in getting control over the pandemic Dr Vagholkar saidHow to tackle COVID fatigueDr Shaikh says there are no easy solutions to the COVID fatigue but recommends some measuresEven if it is inconvenient continue to wear a mask use a hand sanitiser and maintain safe physical distancePractise all safety guidelines issued by the health department particularly in front of children so that they can learn and adapt to the safety measuresKeep multiple masks when on the move like while travelling to and from workDiscuss positive reports about COVID19 with family particularly children so that their morale remains highChildren should be kept busy with online schooling and other extracurricular activities at homeKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also 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