Tag Archives: COVID-19

Vaccination Success

Vaccination Success

Since 1796, when the first successful vaccine for smallpox helped reduce its spread, vaccines have been successfully developed and employed to diminish or eliminate highly infectious diseases.1 The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the number of children worldwide receiving essential vaccines has increased from 20 percent to 86 percent since 1980.2 These efforts have protected communities against the spread of many infectious diseases. Despite the long history of successful vaccine development and use, many people struggle to trust that the current COVID-19 vaccines, derived from more than 20 years of research, are safe and effective. Yet, as Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, CEO of the Bizzell Group, notes in this Psychology Today vaccine article, “Widespread inoculation against COVID-19 will not only slow and eventually stop the spread of this deadly disease. It will begin our mental healing, raising the spirits of our country and our world from more than a year of fear, uncertainty, grief, and isolation.”  Building trust in the COVID-19 vaccines and expanding vaccine access to the hardest hit areas and those with low vaccination rates are crucial strategies for stopping the spread.

READ MORE: Vaccination Success

1https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/smallpox-vaccines#:~:text=The%20smallpox%20vaccine%2C%20introduced%20by,protected%20against%20inoculated%20variola%20virus

2https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-vaccines-success-story-gives-us-hope-for-the-future

2021 Predictions on Mental Health As We Continue to Work Remotely

Dr. Anton C. Bizzell addresses in a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) blog post how mental health is being affected as we continue to work remotely well into 2021 and beyond. Working remotely can lead to feelings of loneliness, increased stress, and difficulty concentrating and adjusting to the new work style. Still, we must recognize that remote work is part of the “new normal” and is here to stay as we continue to social distance and control the spread of COVID-19 into 2021, Dr. Bizzell believes. Remote work will very likely remain in some form beyond the pandemic, he writes.

READ MORE: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF)

State of Mental Health, Part 2: Where we’re headed in 2021

In a recent Psychology Today article, Dr. Anton C. Bizzell shares how COVID-19 affected everyone’s mental health in 2020 and what the predictions and preparations are for 2021. Dr. Bizzell believes that mental health will gain a foothold in the overall healthcare conversation and will be recognized as a global health problem. We must couple hope with action to tackle the mental health effects of the pandemic, Dr. Bizzell writes. With so many around the world touched by COVID, the topic of mental health will finally begin to lose its stigma, he believes.

READ MORE: Psychology Today

The State of Mental Health, Part 1: What happened in 2020

In Psychology Today, Dr. Anton C. Bizzell discusses how mental health was impacted throughout 2020 because of COVID-19. Once COVID-19 took hold worldwide early last year, its mental health effects quickly began to emerge. There were strong emotional reactions to the virus, particularly fear, uncertainty, and grief. Shutdowns affected societies everywhere; families and friends were separated; and individuals spent weeks or months alone. While hope is on the horizon with the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Dr. Bizzell writes, the pandemic and its fallout are far from over. It is more important than ever to examine the impact of the virus on mental health in 2020 and what lessons we can apply to improve mental wellness in 2021 and beyond.

READ MORE: Psychology Today,