COVID-19 has infected millions of people and upended the lives of most humans on the planet. Researchers from across the psychological sciences have sought to document and investigate the impact of COVID-19 in myriad ways, causing an explosion of research that is broad in scope, varied in methods, and challenging to consolidate. Because policy and practice aimed at helping people live healthier and happier lives requires insight from robust patterns of evidence, this article provides a rapid and thorough summary of high-quality studies available through early 2021 examining the mental-health consequences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our review of the evidence indicates that anxiety, depression, and distress increased in the early months of the pandemic. Meanwhile, suicide rates, life satisfaction, and loneliness remained largely stable throughout the first year of the pandemic. In response to these insights, we present seven recommendations (one urgent, two short-term, and four ongoing) to support mental health during the pandemic and beyond.

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Quality health management requires timely and accurate data, and paper-based reporting does not fill this role adequately. The introduction of malaria rapid diagnostic tests and the availability of wireless communications present an opportunity to open direct data transmission and feedback between peripheral health workers and central managers. In November 2009, the Uganda Ministry of Health deployed a short message service–based reporting system in two districts. At a set-up cost of $100/health facility, local technician support of $ 400 per month, and a cost of $0.53/week/clinic, the SMS reporting system was started at more than 140 clinics. Positivity rates for rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin combination therapy stock outs were 48% and 54% in Kabale and 71% and 54% in Gulu, among other reports, at more than 85% health facilities reporting weekly and without monetary incentives or additional supervision. The SMS-based reporting systems have potential to improve timeliness in reporting of specific, time-sensitive metrics at modest cost, while by-passing current bottlenecks in the flow of data. With the development of specific capacity to manage stock data at district level, the availability of timely data offers potential to address commodity distribution problems and reduce stock-outs.

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission was launched on July 9, 2020, to assist governments, civil society, and UN institutions in responding effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission aims to offer practical solutions to the four main global challenges posed by the pandemic: suppressing the pandemic by means of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions; overcoming humanitarian emergencies, including poverty, hunger, and mental distress, caused by the pandemic; restructuring public and private finances in the wake of the pandemic; and rebuilding the world economy in an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable way that is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. Many creative solutions are already being implemented, and a key aim of the Commission is to accelerate their adoption worldwide.

In Africa, older adults aged 50 and older are still sexually active and play a critical role as caregivers, yet little is known about their attitudes towards HIV and awareness of services. In this study, surveys were conducted in nine African sites. A multilevel model was fitted to evaluate the relationship between age and outcome variables. The study reveals that people aged 50 years and older have lower levels of HIV-related knowledge and awareness than those aged 25-49. Older adults were less likely to have been tested for HIV and women aged 50 and older showed particularly low levels of awareness.