Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic has reached most of the globe, creating major health crises [1]. The global scale of continuing transmission, and high numbers of deaths, infection, and mortality, are major causes of concern [2], with the pandemic declared a worldwide public health emergency [3]. By September 3 rd , 2020, the World Health Organization had identified 25,884,895 confirmed cases globally, with 859,130 deaths from infection [4]. To address this pandemic and contain it, widespread lockdown in many countries ensued [5], with serious effects on all aspects of life [6]. Attention was initially placed on the effects of the pandemic on older people as the risk of dying from the infection increases with age [7], with adverse outcomes linked to males, smoking and cardio-metabolic comorbidity [8]. However, the pandemic exposed racial and other disparities, with the risk of disease and death exacerbated by inequalities [9, 10]. The pandemic, compounded by lockdowns, created the conditions for fears and worries, distress and anxieties to rise among all [11], with effects on different age groups and genders on mental health [12, 13], including on front line workers, young children, and college students [14]. A study of undergraduate students reported that isolation from social networks and the lack of interaction with others were associated with negative mental health [15]. At the peak of the pandemic in China, the prevalence of