Pandemic anxiety in US prompts action call

An influential group of medical experts has recommended for the first time that adults under the age of 65 in the United States get screened by doctors for anxiety, after the hardships brought on by the coronavirus pandemic prompted a spike in mental health strain among people in the US.

Anxiety rose not just in the US, but also across the world by 25 percent during the first year of the pandemic, the World Health Organization said.

By the end of last year, the WHO said "the situation had somewhat improved, but today too many people remain unable to get the care and support they need for both preexisting and newly developed mental health conditions".