News of the Month — April 2020

NewsApril 24, 2020

The CDC and local health officials are warning that future COVID-19 surges starting next winter could be more deadly than the current outbreak. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. In a recent KFF poll, nearly half (45%) of adults in the United States reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the virus. 

A spike in people dying at home suggests that Coronavirus deaths are higher than reported.

100,000 retail stores could close by 2025, accelerated by COVID-19, analysts say. Analysts at Wall Street firm UBS said in a research note this week that the pandemic could alter behaviors, leading more shoppers to continue buying online. Shoppers who do go to stores may not linger, they said. 

A new study finds that mass incarceration could add 100,000 deaths to U.S. coronavirus toll. Jails could act as incubators for disease to be spread widely both inside and in local communities, say ACLU representatives.