5 unintended positives from COVID-19 to make you smile today

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been feeling absolutely shattered lately. 2020 has been a raging dumpster fire of a year – and it’s not even over yet (despite the chilly weather that’s threatening to descend on London).

The *whisper* coronavirus news has been relentless – for those of us working in health (and global health especially) it’s necessarily on everyone’s brain and lips twenty-four hours a day. Combine that with the state of the global economy, social isolation caused by our perpetual WFH, the absolute halt to travel that continues to separate many expats like myself from friends and family across the globe and horrific race-related violence that continues to be perpetrated in our culture it can be incredibly overwhelming, and just – well, downright depressing.

So when I saw a story about one of the positive outcomes of this whole situation and it lifted my mood in the 2 minutes it took to peruse, I went looking for more.

Here are 5 unintended positives that have come out of COVID-19 – while my intention is not to in any way detract from the gravity of the times we live in, I hope at least one brings a smile to your face!

1.      Social smokers are giving cigs the toss. I came across a story that highlighted a recent survey by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) stating that over 1M people have given up smoking since the Covid-19 pandemic hit with 41% of these people stating it was in direct response to the pandemic. Younger smokers are also quitting in higher numbers than those in a higher age bracket. With our social movements and visits to the local pubs only just opening back up, it makes sense that there’s been less opportunity to partake. We’ve also all had plenty of “self-care time” in lockdown and with smoking-related illness also linked to worse outcomes from Covid-19, there’s never been a better time to be a “quitter.” Let’s hope this stays longer term.

2.      Surprise! Handwashing/masks/distancing/having social etiquette works. The BMJ has reported that according to recent data from the Royal College of General Practitioners, cases of the common cold, flu, and other respiratory diseases in the UK are substantially lower than average with sheltering in place and physical distancing measures to prevent the spread of the current pandemic the likely cause. Figures for the first week of August reported nine times fewer cases than the 5 year average for this time of year. While people have also been reluctant to visit their GP during this time, which may also be a factor, a spokesperson for the RCGP highlighted the impact hygiene practices like handwashing on reducing cases of common winter illnesses. So lather up and keep singing Happy Birthday y’all.

3.      More of our four-legged friends are finding their fur-ever homes and helping us combat loneliness. Now, if you know me at all (and even if you don’t) you probably know I LOVE pets. Loneliness and social isolation has been declared by health experts as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day – on par with obesity. But science also shows that pets can be part of the solution for many people dealing with social isolation and mental health issues. Pets are physically present and offer social and emotional support that many of us are missing from our friends and family. Dogs in particular can also motivate owners to get outside and exercise which is also incredibly good for our mental health. And with shelters across the US, UK and other countries reporting record adoptions and fosters it seems the secret is out. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

4.      A little reprieve for Mother Nature. According to a recent paper published in Science Direct, climate experts predict that greenhouse gas emissions could drop to levels never seen since World War II, due to distancing measures implemented during the pandemic. In provinces of China, power plants and industrial facilities halted production and use of vehicles decreased leading to a significant drop in levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and pollution in the air. In Europe, air pollution has dramatically reduced since governments ordered citizens to stay at home with research showing a clear and substantial reduction in NO2 concentrations in countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. And while this won’t maintain at the same level as countries begin to open up again, there are clearly learnings about behaviour change we should take forward in our fight to save the planet. This one’s for Greta.

5.      Africa eliminates wild polio amidst the madness. In a global health milestone, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on 25th August that the Africa Regional Certification Commission had certified the WHO African Region as wild polio-free after four years without a case. The achievement – made even more difficult during COVID-19 – means over 90% of the world’s population – are now poliovirus free, moving the world ever closer to achieving global polio eradication. Polio is something that has affected my family personally – my mom contracted this insidious disease as a child growing up in Taiwan and it has impacted her mobility ever since. So when I saw this news – I’m not ashamed to say I did a little fist pump in my home office (aka kitchen) and may have shed a little happy tear.

So while the pandemic has undoubtedly been the hardest thing most of us have ever had to deal with, personally, professionally, mentally, physically and emotionally – it’s nice to know that there’s a couple of tiny upsides. And that’s the mood I’m channeling going into the next (last) few months of the year.