MANKATO, Minn. — Are we out of the woods with COVID-19? Have we reached the endemic stage? Should we adopt the mindset that the virus is just a part of our lives now and carry on as usual?
Many people are walking around with more questions than answers as new COVID variants emerge and case counts continue to fluctuate. Without a definitive answer as to what the next phase of the pandemic will look like, mental fatigue has set in for many during this COVID limbo, as has anxiety, depression and persistent anger.
"It's been well over two years since the start of the pandemic, and of course people are frustrated and anxious," says Patrick Bigaouette, M.D., a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. "When COVID-19 case counts tick back up, people are naturally nervous about whether it's OK to go to a movie, send their child to school, or the possibility of increased COVID-related public policies. The recurrent feeling of anxiety can be mentally fatiguing."
