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(CNN Spanish) – World Health Day is here. Although this year’s edition is focused on the connection between the planet and people’s health, it is still inevitable to think regarding our relationship with covid-19.
The covid-19 pandemic has already been more than two years old and, however, there is still much to talk regarding.
We have cases like the United States, where hospitalizations have just recorded their lowest point since the pandemic began (although hospitals are still under pressure due to other treatments or lack of staff).
On the other hand, worrying scenarios continue in other places, such as China, which since March has been fighting its largest wave of covid-19 to date (with Shanghai as its main source of infection).
There is no end in sight to China’s Covid-19 lockdowns. This is what you should know
There is no way of knowing when the pandemic will end. All we know is that we are now in a different stage, which requires that we reflect on our learnings in the last two years of covid-19 and that we stick with certain measures forever in order to take care of our health.
Main lessons learned from the pandemic
Dr. Elmer Huerta, oncologist, public health expert and CNN contributor, pointed out that covid-19 has taught us that no country was prepared for this episode.
“This pandemic has exposed the fragility of the health systems of all the countries it has passed through, including the most developed countries,” the CNN contributor said in an interview. As mentioned, the case of the United States is an example of this because its hospitals continue to be pressured by a lack of medical personnel and by patients who postponed their treatments, either by choice or due to the scarcity of health services.
In addition, Dr. Huerta indicated that the pandemic has shown us the lack of solidarity to face covid-19. For example, the unequal access to vaccines in developing countries, something that was documented with the low effectiveness of the Covax program in mid-2021.
“Human beings, unfortunately, have failed to show solidarity. That vaccination project that was going to be Covax, the initiative to give vaccines to the poor countries of the world, failed due to a lack of solidarity, which is very worrying and should make us think regarding the next pandemic,” added the health expert. public.
Dr. Christina Balinotti, a specialist in Family Psychology, commented that we also learned to value relationships with others since individualism will not lead us to overcome any crisis.
“We got to know each other better. In some cases, families were also separated. But the important thing is to deepen in this case in human relations”, Balinotti reiterated in an interview.
In this sense, the pandemic made us understand the great value of both physical and mental health, said Dr. Ángela Londoño-McConnell, psychologist, president and co-founder of AK Counseling & Consulting Inc.
“We have realized the wide importance that the psychological factor has in our daily lives. I think that before we were not so clear. There was a false division between the mental or the psychological and the physical. And I think that has been erased with the pandemic. Now we fully understand that if we are not well psychologically, we are not well physically and vice versa, “she said in an interview.
Study reveals that the pandemic affected the mental health of children 1:54
Physical and Mental Health Tips We Should Stay With
Dr. Huerta says that it is very important that we stay with measures such as hand hygiene, care for drinking water and the use of masks to avoid spreading respiratory diseases. Other tips from Dr. Huerta are those already known until now, but that were emphasized with the pandemic: eat healthy, have a balanced diet, exercise daily, say no to cigarettes and see the doctor at least once a year for check-ups before have symptoms, respect sleep hours and manage stress. Regarding the field of psychology, Dr. Balinotti mentions that dialogue is the most important thing, so she recommends that problems be discussed with someone close and with a mental health professional. In addition, she indicates that, just like physical health, it should be the norm to go once a year to have our mental health checked. Dr. Londoño-McConnell also emphasizes going to a psychological professional, especially to have a different perspective of our mental obstacles. While the one-year rule applies to our general mental health checkup, you don’t have to wait that long to see a professional. Londoño-McConnell points out that, as soon as you feel that your quality of life is not what you would like, you should go for a consultation. Finally, Londoño-McConnell comments that it is necessary that we rescue all those techniques and tools that have made you feel at peace. Some that can help you are doing yoga, writing your thoughts to reflect on them and living in the present.
The-CNN-Wire
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