ReportWire

Tag: covid pandemic

  • Interest cost for borrowers still below pre-pandemic level: BoB report

    Interest cost for borrowers still below pre-pandemic level: BoB report

    [ad_1]

    The cumulative increase of 250 basis points (bps) repo rate by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the reaction of banks in terms of transmission has still not pushed interest cost for borrowers to the pre-pandemic levels, according to a report by Bank of Baroda’s economic research department.

    “While borrowers may view this current cycle as imposing an additional burden, this is because abnormal conditions typified by the pandemic had made interest rates come down to the lowest level. Hence, the present level of rates may be viewed as a correction.

    “…There is still some room for upward movement in weighted average lending rate, which will keep interest costs of borrowers at the pre-pandemic level,” Dipanwita Mazumdar, economist, BoB.

    Also read: Strong global headwinds to keep rates high: RBI Governor

    The economist observed that when the pandemic started in March 2020, there was a dramatic easing in monetary policy, with repo rate hitting record low of 4 per cent. This was also reflected in the Weighted Average Lending rate (WALR), witnessing more than complete pass through in the same period.

    Subsequently, the repo rate has been increased by 250 bps to 6.5 per cent. Both these cycles involved lending rates coming down first and then going up, she said.

    BoB’s analysis shows that interest cost on outstanding loans as of February 2020 (under certain assumptions) got a benefit of ₹61,000 crore in FY21 and a further ₹53,000 crore in FY22 relative to FY21.

    In FY20, based on the WALR, the interest outgo was ₹10.16-lakh crore (applying the the then outstanding WALR of 10.05 per cent) on a sum of ₹101.05-lakh crore (outstanding loans).

    Also read: Monetary policy has to remain extra alert and ready to act: Shaktikanta Das

    “In FY21 the cost came down to ₹9.55-lakh crore and declined further to ₹9.02-lakh crore in FY22. Compared with FY20, the cost was lower by ₹61,000 crore and ₹1.14-lakh crore, respectively. If these two years are combined, the savings in interest costs for borrowers amounted to ₹1.75-lakh crore,” said Mazumdar.

    Rise in interest cost

    In FY23, as interest costs rose, total interest outgo was ₹9.35-lakh crore, which though higher than that in FY22, is much lower than the FY20 cost. Therefore, as the RBI corrected the repo rate towards normal, borrowers were still not worse off compared to pre-pandemic times, opined the Economist.

    She assessed that in FY24, based on assumption of unchanged WALR, the interest cost will go up to ₹9.91-lakh crore, which is again lower than FY20 level by ₹25,000 crore.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Heart Disease Deaths Spiked During COVID

    Heart Disease Deaths Spiked During COVID

    [ad_1]

    Nov. 29, 2022 – Deaths from heart disease and stroke among adults living in the United States have been on the decline since 2010. But the COVID-19 pandemic reversed that downward trend in 2020, new research shows. 

    It was as if COVID had wiped out 5 years of progress, pushing rates back to levels seen in 2015, the researchers say.

    Non-Hispanic Black people and those who were younger than 75 were affected more than others, with the pandemic reversing 10 years of progress in those groups. 

    Rebecca C. Woodruff, PhD, presented these study findings at the American Heart Association 2022 Scientific Sessions.

    The rate of death from heart disease had been falling for decades in the United States due to better detection of risk factors, such as high blood pressure, and better treatments, such as statins for cholesterol, she said.

    The decrease in deaths from heart disease from 1900 to 1999 “has been recognized as a top public health achievement of the twentieth  century,” said Woodruff, who is an epidemiologist for the CDC.

    The reversal of this positive trend shows that it is important that people “work with a health care provider to prevent and manage existing heart disease, even in challenging conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. 

    Woodruff advised that “everyone can improve and maintain their cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by following the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 – eating better, being more active, quitting tobacco, getting healthy sleep, managing weight, controlling cholesterol, managing blood sugar, and managing blood pressure.” 

    “COVID-19 vaccines can help everyone, especially those with underlying heart disease or other health conditions, and protect people from severe COVID-19,” she stressed.

    Andrew J. Einstein, MD, PhD, from Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, who was not involved with this research, says the results show “very disturbing changes” to the decline in deaths from heart disease over the past decade. 

    The study findings underscore that “as a society, we need to take efforts to ensure that all people are engaged in the health care system, with one aim being improving heart health outcomes, which worsened significantly in 2020,” he says. 

    “If you don’t actively see a primary care provider, it’s important to find one with whom you can have a good relationship and can discuss with you heart-healthy living; check your blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol; ask you about symptoms and examine you to detect disease early; and refer you for more specialized heart care as needed,” he says. 

    Some Study Findings

    The researchers analyzed data from the CDC’s WONDER database.

    They identified adults ages 35 and older with heart disease as cause of death.

    They found that the number of people who died from heart disease in every 100,000 people (heart disease death rate) dropped each year from 2010 to 2019, but it increased in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

    This increase was seen in the total population, in men, in women, in all age groups, and in all race and Hispanic ethnicity groups.

    In the total population, the heart disease death rate dropped by 9.8% from 2010 to 2019. But this rate increased by 4.1% in 2020, going back to the rate it had been in 2015.

    Among non-Hispanic Black people, the heart disease death rate fell by 10.4% from 2010 to 2019, but it increased by 11.2% in 2020, going back to the rate it had been in 2010.

    Similarly, among adults ages 35 to 54 and those ages 55 to 74, the rates of heart disease deaths decreased from 2010 to 2019 and increased in 2020 to rates higher than they had been in 2010.

    In 2020, about 7 years of progress in declining heart death rates was lost among men and 3 years of progress was lost among women, the researchers said. 

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • How the Pandemic Changed You (and You May Not Even Know It)

    How the Pandemic Changed You (and You May Not Even Know It)

    [ad_1]

    Oct. 27, 2022 – The pandemic changed a lot. The way we work, educate our kids, and visit the doctor. The job market, the housing market, and entire industries. Our average life expectancy fell by nearly 3 years.

    But the pandemic has also changed something else: You. 

    That’s not just a guess. Scientists have been putting out papers documenting the many ways you – and all of us – have changed, from habits to health. The latest such study suggests that our very personalities have changed.

    Researchers from Florida State University and other institutions compared data pre-pandemic versus later and found declines in four traits: extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The changes were about “one-tenth of a standard deviation,” roughly the level of personality change you’d expect to see over a decade – not 2 years. A fifth trait, neuroticism, also increased in young adults. 

    In some ways, that’s the opposite of what should happen as we grow and mature, explains study author Angelina Sutin, PhD, a professor of behavioral sciences and social medicine at Florida State University College of Medicine. The paper calls it “disrupted maturity.” Normally, neuroticism goes down, and agreeableness and conscientiousness go up. 

    “In young adults, we found the exact opposite pattern,” Sutin says. Middle-aged adults also saw a decline in agreeableness and conscientiousness, though the oldest adults saw no significant changes.

    “Having a worldwide pandemic was a stressor that affected everyone in some way,” Sutin says. “There has not been an event like that in modern time, in modern psychology, that we could look at that disrupted all of society.” 

    Natural disasters are disruptive and stressful but tend not to affect the entire population. They also don’t last as long. 

    “The pandemic has been this ongoing threat,” Sutin says. “It’s hard to have gone through this experience and not been changed in some way.”

    Scientists have seized the opportunity to study all kinds of things: the pandemic’s impact on our blood pressure, our microbiomes, our eyesight, our mental health. Many more long-term changes may be revealed with time. 

    Are they permanent? Perhaps – but perhaps not. We are not without agency; if you’re feeling more anxious and stressed (signs of neuroticism), you can seek help and learn ways to manage that. If you’re concerned about conscientiousness, practice those skills: Stick to a schedule, follow through on commitments. 

    “All those things that make conscientious people conscientious,” Sutin says. 

    On the other hand, some changes – like washing your hands more and reevaluating what matters – may be positive. And those you can choose to keep. 

    It starts with taking a moment to reflect and recognize what changes are helpful or harmful, which you’d like to carry forward, and which you’ll leave behind. 

    So, how have we  changed since the pandemic? Have a look.

    Our Blood Pressure Went Up

    A study of half a million U.S. adults found systolic blood pressure (the top number in your blood pressure measurement) jumped by about 2 millimeters of mercury from April 2020 to December 2020, while diastolic pressure (the bottom number) went up, too. (This after holding steady in 2019 and the first 3 months of 2020.)

    Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, raising blood pressure, says study author Luke Laffin, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Blood Pressure Disorders. It also inspires unhealthy behaviors, like scarfing down junk food, drinking alcohol, and sleeping less. 

    Even a small rise in blood pressure can increase heart attack and stroke risk. But you can help reverse the damage by exercising, cutting back on salt and saturated fat, making sleep a priority, and taking blood pressure medications as prescribed. Another useful exercise: Take a long look at how you react to stress triggers, no matter if they come from family, TV, or social media. Tracking your blood pressure at home can help too, Laffin says. Find validated monitors at ValidateBP.org. 

    We Need More Space 

    Remember Seinfeld’s “close talker” (Judge Reinhold) who gets uncomfortably I-can-feel-your-breath close? We all know that visceral urge to step back, and now we may be stepping back even farther. 

    Taking advantage of a pre-pandemic study on personal space, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital recruited the same people for a new study after the pandemic began. They found that space needs increased by 45%, from 2 to 3 feet to 3 to 4 feet, on average. 

    The clever part of this study is that they used both real people and avatars to test the results. 

    “Even though avatars are not real, we do not want an avatar in our personal space,” says study author Daphne Holt, MD, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. You can’t catch COVID from an avatar. Yet people still needed more space in a virtual setting, suggesting the brain systems regulating personal space may have been altered. 

    No need to force this one. You’ll readjust at your own pace, Holt says. 

    “These behaviors are fairly automatic and sensitive to change, and thus should quickly adapt again to the new normal.” 

    We’ve Become Germ-Fighting Ninjas – and That May Be Bad for Our Health 

    For many of us, the pandemic was a crash course on virology and immunology. We now know what a spike protein is, the difference between an N95 and a regular-old face mask, the virtues of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and how far and fast virus-carrying droplets can travel. 

    But we may have fended off good germs too, meaning your microbiome may have taken a hit. 

    “We have a tension in our society between hygiene and healthy [microbe] exposure,” says Brett Finlay, PhD, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of British Columbia and author of Let Them Eat Dirt. 

    That goes back well before the pandemic, to when scientists discovered about a century ago that germs cause infection. That’s when we broke out the disinfectant, sterilizing our world and killing healthy microbes in the process. 

    “When we realized this and how important the microbiome is to our health, we started pushing back,” says Finlay. “Then COVID came along, and we went back to being hyper hygienic, which will set us back considerably.”

    Healthy microbes help protect against disease. And a BMJ study even found that the gut microbiome may influence COVID severity.

    Strike a balance, Finlay recommends. Keep handwashing, but eat more fiber, fermented foods, and probiotics, and cut back on sugar, flour, and red meat. Also exercise, manage stress, and get outside. Microbes in the environment can be ingested and become part of your gut community, where they can help fuel healthy gut cells, he says. A pet is another good way to expose yourself to different microbes.

    Our Vision Got Blurrier

    The pandemic, by virtue of trapping us indoors and keeping us close to screens, may have sped up a rise in nearsightedness, or myopia, especially among young children. That’s when you can see things up close but struggle to view objects far away. The fix is simple: glasses. But if myopia worsens too quickly, it can increase the risk of retinal detachment and glaucoma, conditions that in turn can lead to permanent blindness.

    Children are especially at risk. 

    “The younger the person, the more influence near activity has on progression of myopia,” says Howard Krauss, MD, a neuro-ophthalmologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. “But even the young adult may induce myopia with prolonged near work,” as may be the case among law students and medical students. 

    You can help protect yourself (or your child) against myopia progression by getting outside, Krauss says. Exposure to bright light triggers the release of dopamine, which may prevent the eye from elongating (the basis of myopia). Maximize your outdoor time as you can, aiming for at least 2  hours a day.

    Our Teeth Hurt

    Some 70% of dentists saw more teeth grinding, or bruxism, among patients. Dr. Google noticed too: Searches for “bruxism,” “teeth grinding,” and “teeth clenching” spiked between May and October 2020. 

    Grinding is linked to stress, and some research suggests the tensing-and-relaxing motion (like chewing gum) may be a subconscious stress reducer. 

    If it gets bad enough, grinding can cause tooth fractures or loss of teeth, says Robert DiPilla, DDS. If you’re concerned, see your dentist. A fitted mouth guard may solve the problem.

    We’re More Anxious (and More Aware of That, Too)

    Rates of depression and anxiety soared during the pandemic. The reason? Take your pick: unprecedented stress, frustration, isolation, uncertainty, grief over losing loved ones. Some research points to “emotional contagion.” That’s when you see other anxious people, so you start to feel anxious too, an effect that can run rampant on social media. 

    But guess what? We’ve noticed. A recent survey from CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 9 out of 10 adults believe there’s a mental health crisis in the U.S. today. We’re talking more about mental health now, says Ariana Mufson, a social worker in Newton Centre, MA, and we may be more aware of it than ever, as evidenced by the rise in demand for mental health services. 

    “People I hadn’t seen in years came back to my practice,” says Mufson, “and I received daily referrals to the point where I had to keep a long waitlist.” 

    Paying more attention to your mental health is a positive change. So put down the phone and keep up the self-care. Our mental health needs “exercise” just as our bodies do, Mufson says.

    We Stopped Catching Colds

    It’s not true that getting infections boosts general immunity. In fact, infection can cause inflammation and may trigger autoimmune disease. One study found that prior infection with a common cold coronavirus may have increased the risk of severe illness from COVID.

    “One of the things we learned from the pandemic was how effective masking is at preventing all sorts of illnesses,” says Meghan May, PhD, a professor of microbiology and infectious disease at the University of New England College of Medicine. Take the unusually low 2020-2021 flu season, she says. 

    “We can apply that knowledge forward to help curtail diseases other than COVID.” 

    Keep washing your hands, using sanitizer, and minding your personal space, May recommends. And continue to eat outside at restaurants if you can, even during the chilly months of cold and flu season. Heat lamps, fire pits, and portable stoves have become common at many places, she notes. 

    We Reevaluated What Matters 

    Amid the disruption and isolation, the pandemic may have helped us focus on what’s most important. Engagements, career shifts, and moves all spiked. Job loss and furloughs encouraged many to reconsider their careers, prompting an unprecedented high in U.S. resignations. Inflation forced some to rethink their spending – a Capital One survey found 58% of those surveyed have completely changed how they think about money due to the pandemic.

    This is one change you want to make permanent, so keep fostering that compassionate and curious inner voice, says Mufson. 

    “Ask yourself, ‘Is this job making me happy? Is it giving me the work-life balance I want? Do I have enough free time to see family and friends?’” If not, figure out the steps needed to get where you want to be.  

    [ad_2]

    Source link