Researchers find Covid-19 affects mental well-being

While a lot of focus is on the effects of Covid-19 on the body, researchers at Wits University have looked at what impact the virus has on people's mental well-being.   

Dr Andrew Wooyoung Kim, a post-doctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School and an honorary lecturer at the SA Medical Research Council-Wits Developmental Pathways, collected data in the first six weeks of Level 5 lockdown into the effects of Covid-19 on people in Soweto and found that about 20% of participants reported "potent experiences of anxiety, fear, and 'thinking too much' as a result of the pandemic".

Data was collected from 957 people, aged 25 and older, the majority of which were female.