Covid-19: Mental health and economic problems are worse in US than in other rich nations

Covid-19 has caused mental health problems, economic hardship, and lack of trust in national leadership among about a third of US adults, higher rates than in nine other high income countries, a survey by the Commonwealth Fund shows. 1The private foundation's president, David Blumenthal, a coauthor of the report, said, "People in other countries are living a different, better, reality.Americans should realise that our country can do better, too.We can start by ensuring everyone can get and afford the healthcare they need, and by implementing public health measures such as mask wearing, social distancing, and robust testing and tracing that can help us stop covid-19, as so many others have effectively accomplished."He said the pandemic was a unique time to make these comparisons because all countries were facing the same crisis at the same time.The Commonwealth Fund is a non-profit foundation that supports health policy reform and a high performance health system.Reginald Williams II, lead author of the report and a fund vice president, said, "In the US the pandemic has taken a greater toll on people's wellbeing when compared with other high income countries."He said that as cases and deaths continued to increase, US policymakers "should look abroad for innovative solutions."Clear, consistent messages about the pandemic, with avoidance of politicising and coordination of testing, provision of supplies, and contact tracing, were needed to combat the pandemic, said Eric Schneider, a coauthor and fund vice president.