The COVID-19 pandemic warped our sense of time [column] – LNP | LancasterOnline

2017 was seven years ago. Crazy, right? The new year often brings reflection on tangible ideas such as goals, relationships or challenges.

This year, however, I thought about an idea so valuable and abstract that, once its gone, you can never get it back: time.

In my mind, 2017 still feels like it was three years ago, as if the years between 2020 and 2024 never happened. Im not alone in feeling as though time has flown by without us noticing, and people on TikTok have even begun to call it the 2020 Effect.

The 2020 Effect is a theory that stems from the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the outbreak, we all lived through a lockdown in isolation for an extended period of time, causing us to perceive the passage of time differently.

The theory seems to apply most when I think about what grade Im in. Im already in the 11th grade, but because I feel like no time has passed since 2020, it doesnt make sense that 2025 the year Ill be graduating is right around the corner.

Everyone tells you that high school goes by quickly, but you really dont believe it until you experience it. Because of the 2020 Effect, it doesnt even feel like that much time has passed, yet it also feels like time moved on rapidly, which seems pretty paradoxical.

Moreover, while I still feel like its 2020, I dont remember much from the actual lockdown.

Its been three years since the statewide masking mandate was lifted, and I honestly dont remember what it felt like to wear a mask.

To look at it from another perspective: The movie Frozen came out 11 years ago. It doesnt feel like its been a decade since a childhood favorite movie came out, possibly because the 2020 Effect is messing with our perception of time.

OK, so youre probably thinking, Frozen 2 was more recent, right? Well, it actually came out in 2019, which doesnt sound that old, but that was five years ago.

COVID-19 was an extremely unexpected way to start 2020 and it greatly affected society and the economy worldwide. Its lingering effects can still be felt, but remembering what it was like during that actual time period is oddly difficult.

Our confusion about times passage is arguably one of the most long-lived outcomes to have been produced by the pandemic.

Time is ultimately a human-made construct, but its a concept that we seem to have no logical explanation for when it acts in funny ways. I suppose the moral of the story is to cherish the time you have, because soon enough, COVID-19 will be the heading of a chapter in our history textbooks.

Aanya Iyengar is in the 11th grade at Manheim Township High School.

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The Winter Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Study (Winter CIS) asked participants if they would describe themselves as currently having long COVID (defined as experiencing symptoms more than four weeks after a coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, that are not explained by something else). Therefore, estimates in this article relate to self-reported long COVID, as experienced by study participants, rather than clinically diagnosed ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 syndrome.

An estimated 3.3% (95% confidence interval: 3.1 to 3.5%) of individuals in England and Scotland were experiencing self-reported long COVID during wave 4 (6 February to 7 March 2024). This is slightly higher than the estimated percentage reported at the end of the UK Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey (CIS) in March 2023 (2.9%, 95% confidence interval: 2.8 to 3.0%). As the Winter CIS contains a sub-sample of CIS participants, the figures reported here may not be directly comparable with those reported previously in CIS (see Section 8: Data sources and quality for more details).

Respondents who self-reported currently having long COVID were asked to provide a date for the following question, "When did you first experience symptoms of long COVID?". Of those who self-reported long COVID and provided a date, 87.3% had experienced symptoms at least 12 weeks previously, 71.1% one year previously, 51.3% at least two years previously and 30.6% at least three years previously during wave 4 (ending 7 March 2024).

The duration of long COVID symptoms within the Winter CIS has been calculated from a self-reported date, while within the CIS the duration was calculated from the first suspected coronavirus infection. Figures are not directly comparable. The question around onset of long COVID symptoms is asked only of those who currently self-reported having long COVID, therefore figures do not represent time to recovery. Figures representing more recent onset of long COVID may also include those with long-lasting COVID-19 infection who have not yet had time to recover.

The characteristics of those most likely to have self-reported long COVID followed a similar trend to that previously reported at the end of CIS in March 2023. As a proportion of the England and Scotland population during wave 4 in the Winter CIS, the prevalence of self-reported long COVID was greatest in people aged 45 to 64 years, in females (3.6% compared with 3.0% in males), in those who were not working and not looking for work (9.1%) and highest in the North West (3.8%) and the North East (3.6%) regions of England.

Further breakdowns showing Scotland and England separately, ethnic group and Index of Multiple Deprivation can be found in the datasets accompanying this release.

Participants were asked whether long COVID reduced their ability to carry out day-to-day activities compared with the time before having COVID-19, with options of "Yes a lot", "Yes a little" or "Not at all". During wave 4 (ending 7 March 2024), long COVID symptoms adversely impacted the day-to-day activities for 74.7% of those with self-reported long COVID, with 19.2% reporting that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities have been "limited a lot". In addition, 56.4% reported that symptoms worsen following "mental and/or physical effort".

The most common symptom reported as part of an individual's experience of long COVID was weakness or tiredness (54.0%) followed by shortness of breath (43.7%), difficulty concentrating (39.4%) and muscle ache (36.7%). The four most common symptoms reported in the Winter CIS were the same as those in the CIS, however, the percentages for each symptom were lower in this study. Because of an expansion in the list of possible symptoms presented to participants to select, we cannot infer that changes in the percentage reporting each symptom represent a change in the impact of the disease.

In every wave, those who self-report long COVID of any duration (who are aged 16 to 64 years and are not in education) are less likely to be employed or self-employed compared with those who have not reported long COVID (see Table 13 in supporting data). During wave 4 (ending 7 March 2024) the odds of a participant who self-reported long COVID being employed or self-employed was 19.5% (odds ratio 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.73 to 0.89) lower than those who did not report long COVID.

This analysis controls for other characteristics that impact employment status (see Section 8: Data sources and quality), but often we do not know the employment status prior to the participant developing long COVID. We therefore cannot determine if participants with long COVID were more likely to leave the paid labour market after developing long COVID or if those already out of the paid labour market were more likely to develop long COVID.

The COVID-19 lull in the U.S. may soon come to an end, as a new family of SARS-CoV-2 variantsnicknamed FLiRT variantsbegins to spread nationwide.

These variants are distant Omicron relatives that spun out from JN.1, the variant behind the surge in cases this past winter. Theyve been dubbed FLiRT variants based on the technical names for their mutations, one of which includes the letters F and L, and another of which includes the letters R and T.

Within the FLiRT family, one variant in particular has risen to prominence: KP.2, which accounted for about 25% of new sequenced cases during the two weeks ending Apr. 27, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other FLiRT variants, including KP.1.1, have not become as widespread in the U.S. yet.

Researchers are still learning about the FLiRT variants, and many questions remain about how quickly theyll spread, whether theyll cause disease thats more or less severe than what weve seen previously, and how well vaccines will stand up to them. Heres what we know so far.

Despite KP.2's rise in the U.S., its too soon to tell whether the FLiRT family will be responsible for a major surge in cases, says Dr. Eric Topol, executive vice president at Scripps Research, who wrote about the FLiRT variants in a recent edition of his newsletter. For now, the amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus in U.S. wastewater remains minimal, according to the CDC, and hospitalizations and deaths have also continued to decline steadily since their recent peaks in January. At the global level, case counts rose from early to mid-April, but remain far lower than they were a few months ago.

KP.2 and its relatives will likely cause an uptick in cases, but my hunch is it wont be a big wave, Topol says. It might be a wavelet. Thats because people who were recently infected by the JN.1 variant seem to have some protection against reinfection, Topol says, and the virus hasnt mutated enough to become wildly different from previous strains. A recent study from researchers in Japan, which was posted online before being peer-reviewed, also found that KP.2 is less infectious than JN.1.

Vaccines still provide good protection against COVID-19-related hospitalization and death. But two preliminary studiesthe one from Japan and another from researchers in China, which was also posted online before being peer-reviewedsuggest the FLiRT variants may be better at dodging immune protection from vaccines than JN.1 was.

That isnt good, Topol says, especially since many people who got the most recent boosterroughly 30% of adults in the U.S. got it last fall, meaning their protection has begun to wane.

In an Apr. 26 statement, the World Health Organization recommended basing future vaccine formulations on the JN.1 lineage, since it seems the virus will continue to evolve from that variant. The most recent booster was based on an older strain, XBB.1.5.

The virus continues to evolve, but public-health advice remains the same: stay up-to-date on vaccines, test before gatherings, stay home when you're ill, and consider masking and avoiding crowded indoor areas, especially when lots of COVID-19 is going around.

Don't just sneeze without a tissue! That's the message of this early pandemic era graffiti in Dakar, Senegal. The World Health Organization has just issued an updated report on the way SARS-CoV-2 spreads. Take our quiz to see if you're up on your COVID terminology. Seyllou/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Don't just sneeze without a tissue! That's the message of this early pandemic era graffiti in Dakar, Senegal. The World Health Organization has just issued an updated report on the way SARS-CoV-2 spreads. Take our quiz to see if you're up on your COVID terminology.

The arrival of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, brought a batch of vocabulary into the public eye, from "fomite" to "social distancing." See our guide from 2020.

And now there's a new report from the World Health Organization that proposes a set of new terms and definitions along with a revised way of thinking about pathogens that transmit through the air.

Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist of WHO, considers the document to be a kind of base camp. With a shared vocabulary and approach, he and his colleagues are trying to get public health professionals on the same page to reduce confusion and streamline the containment of infections in the future.

This is needed because transmission is complicated. "It depends on my immunity. It depends on your immunity," says Farrar. "It depends on the humidity. It depends on the size of the room. It depends on the airflow. It depends whether I've been vaccinated or whether I'm immune. Depends on my age. Depends on whether I've got diabetes or I've got other conditions. It's complicated."

NPR has prepared a quiz to test your knowledge of this new thinking and how WHO is hoping it will be used.

AstraZeneca Admits Its COVID-19 Vaccine May Cause Blood Clotting Side Effect In Very Rare Case, But Causal Mechanism Unknown

European pharma giantAstraZeneca Plcs(NASDAQ:AZN) Covid vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, is facing a class action lawsuit alleging its vaccine caused death andseriousinjury innumerous cases.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs argue that the vaccine resulted in side effects for a small number of families, including brain injuries and fatalities.

AstraZeneca, whilecontesting the claims, has acknowledged in court documents that its vaccine can, in rare instances, cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a condition characterized by blood clots andlowbloodplatelet counts.

In the legal document submitted to the High Court in February, AstraZenecasaid: It is admitted that the AstraZeneca vaccine can, invery rarecases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known.

This admission follows a year of legal battles and could potentially lead to significant payouts for victims and their families.

However, AstraZeneca maintains that the causal mechanism behind TTS is not fully understood and that the condition can occur independently of its vaccine.

Meanwhile, lawyers argue that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is defective and its efficacy hasbeen overstated. They claim that the vaccine has caused a new illness known as vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT), a subset of TTS, although AstraZenecadisputes the terminology.

AstraZenecas vaccineis no longer usedin the UK, and under-40s are offered alternative jabs due to safety concerns.

Fifty-one cases have been filed in the High Court by victims and their families seeking compensation valued at approximately 100 million.

Read Next:COVAX Global Initiative For COVID-19 Vaccines Comes To An End Amid Shift To Regular Programs.

Price Action:AZN shares are up 0.44% at $75.50at the last check Monday.

Disclaimer: This content was partially producedwith the help ofAI tools andwasreviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo by Paul McManus via Pixabay

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This article AstraZeneca Admits Its COVID-19 Vaccine May Cause Blood Clotting Side Effect In Very Rare Case, But Causal Mechanism Unknown originally appeared on Benzinga.com

2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Minnesota

Prosecutors say the seven stole more than $40m from a program meant to provide meals to children in Minnesota

Associated Press

Mon 29 Apr 2024 09.06 EDT

Opening statements are expected on Monday in the fraud trial of seven people charged in what federal prosecutors have called a massive scheme to exploit lax rules during the Covid-19 pandemic and steal from a program meant to provide meals to children in Minnesota.

The seven will be the first of 70 defendants to go on trial in the alleged scam. Eighteen others have already pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors have said the seven collectively stole more than $40m in a conspiracy that cost taxpayers $250m one of the largest pandemic-related fraud cases in the country. Federal authorities say they have recovered about $50m.

Prosecutors say just a fraction of the money went to feed low-income kids and that the rest was spent on luxury cars, jewelry, travel and property.

The food aid came from the US Department of Agriculture and was administered by the state department of education. Non-profits and other partners under the program were supposed to serve meals to kids.

Two of the groups involved, Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition, were small non-profits before the pandemic; but in 2021, they disbursed around $200m each. Prosecutors allege they produced invoices for meals that were never served, ran shell companies, laundered money, indulged in passport fraud and accepted kickbacks.

An Associated Press analysis published last June documented how thieves across the country plundered billions in federal Covid-19 relief dollars in the biggest grift in US history. The money was meant to fight the worst pandemic in a century and stabilize an economy in freefall.

But the AP found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280bn, while another $123bn was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represented 10% of the $4.3tn the government disbursed in Covid relief by last fall. Nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged, according to the US justice department. About $1.4bn in stolen pandemic aid has been seized.

The defendants going on trial on Monday before the US district judge Nancy Brasel in Minneapolis are Abdiaziz Shafii Farah; Mohamed Jama Ismail; Abdimajid Mohamed Nur; Said Shafii Farah; Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin; Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff; and Hayat Mohamed Nur. They have all pleaded not guilty. Their trial is expected to last about six weeks.

The defendants fraud, like an aggressive cancer, spread and grew, prosecutors wrote in a summary of their case.

Prosecutors say many of the purported feeding sites were nothing more than parking lots and derelict commercial spaces. Others turned out to be city parks, apartment complexes and community centers.

By the time the defendants scheme was exposed in early 2022, they collectively claimed to have served over 18m meals from 50 unique locations for which they fraudulently sought reimbursement of $49m from the Federal Child Nutrition Program, prosecutors wrote.

Among the defendants awaiting trial is Aimee Bock, the founder of Feeding our Future. She is one of 14 defendants expected to face trial together at a later date. Bock has maintained her innocence, saying she never stole and saw no evidence of fraud among her subcontractors.

The scandal stirred up the 2022 legislative session and campaign in Minnesota.

Republicans attacked the governor, Tim Walz, saying he should have stopped the fraud earlier. But Walz pushed back, saying the states hands were tied by a court order in a lawsuit by Feeding Our Future to resume payments despite its concerns. He said the FBI asked the state to continue the payments while the investigation continued.

The Minnesota education department now has an independent inspector general who is better empowered to investigate fraud and waste.

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Hospitals End Mandatory Reporting on Respiratory Diseases

As of May 1, 2024, hospitals in the US are no longer required to report data on admissions, occupancy, and other indicators related to respiratory diseases to federal officials, marking a shift in the government's surveillance efforts post-pandemic, according to Axios. While COVID-19 hospitalizations have reached their lowest levels since the outbreak's onset, the emergence of the KP.2 variant highlights the ongoing need for vigilance. Although reporting remains optional, the end of mandatory reporting has raised questions about ongoing disease monitoring and response strategies, particularly as health systems adapt to new service models.

Cost Barriers to Mental Health Care Identified for Individuals With Long COVID

A recent study shed light on the mental health challenges faced by individuals with long COVID in the US, according to Cidrap. While these patients exhibited higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other symptoms compared with those without long COVID, many also cited cost as a significant barrier to seeking mental health care. The findings underscored the importance of addressing access barriers and implementing screening strategies in health care settings to better support the mental health needs of those with long COVID.

FTC Tightens Regulations on Health App Data Sharing to Safeguard Consumer Privacy

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized a rule aimed at enhancing oversight of digital health apps sharing sensitive medical data with tech companies, according to Fierce Healthcare. The Health Breach Notification Rule (HBNR) mandated vendors of digital health records, including health apps, to notify individuals and the FTC of breaches involving personally identifiable health data. With the proliferation of health apps and wearable devices, the updated rule seeks to keep pace with evolving health technologies and protect consumers' sensitive health information.

LOS ANGELES On a recent afternoon, Grant Oh zigzagged across the University of Southern California campus as if he was conquering an obstacle course, coming up against police blockade after police blockade on his way to his apartment while officers arrested demonstrators protesting the Israel-Hamas war.

In many ways, the chaotic moment was the culmination of a college life that started amid the coronavirus pandemic and has been marked by continual upheaval in what has become a constant battle for normalcy. Oh already missed his prom and his high school graduation as COVID-19 surged in 2020. He started college with online classes. Now the 20-year-old will add another missed milestone to his life: USC has canceled its main commencement ceremony that was expected to be attended by 65,000 people.

A graduating senior takes photos under the University of Southern California mascot on campus Thursday in Los Angeles. The school has canceled its main graduation ceremony as protests against the Israel-Hamas war continued to intensify.

His only graduation ceremony was in middle school, and there were no caps and gowns.

"It's crazy because I remember starting freshman year with the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which came after senior year of high school when the Black Lives Matter protests were happening and COVID, and xenophobia," he said "It feels definitely surreal. It still shocks me that we live in a world that is so fired up and so willing to tear itself apart."

Oh, who is getting a degree in health promotion and disease prevention, added that his loss of a memorable moment pales in comparison to what is happening: "At the end of the day, people are dying."

College campuses have always been a hotbed for protests from the civil rights era to the Vietnam war to demonstrations over apartheid in South Africa. But students today also carry additional stresses from having lived through the isolation and fear from the pandemic, and the daily influence of social media that amplifies the world's wrongs like never before, experts say.

Pro-Israeli demonstrators gather near a pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus Thursday in Los Angeles.

It's not just about missed milestones. Study after study shows Generation Z suffers from much higher rates of anxiety and depression than Millennials, said Jean Twenge, a psychologist and professor at San Diego State University, who wrote a book called "Generations." She attributes much of that to the fact that negativity spreads faster and wider on social media than positive posts.

"Gen Z, they tend to be much more pessimistic than Millennials," she said. "The question going forward is do they take this pessimism and turn it into concrete action and change, or dothey turn it into annihilation and chaos?"

Protesters have pitched tents on campuses from Harvard and MIT to Stanford and the University of Texas, Austin, raising tensions as many schools prepare for spring commencements. Hundreds of students have been arrested across the country. Inspired by demonstrations at Columbia University, students at more than a dozen U.S. colleges have formed pro-Palestinian encampments and pledged to stay put until their demands are met.

The campus will be closed for the semester at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, which has been negotiating with students who have been barricaded inside a campus building since Monday, rebuffing an attempt by the police to clear them out.

USC announced Thursday that it would be calling off its main graduation ceremony after protests erupted over not only the Israel-Hamas war but the school's decision earlier this month to call off the commencement speech by its valedictorian Asna Tabassum, who expressed support for Palestinians. Officials cited security concerns.

"By trying to silence Asna, it made everything way worse," Oh said, adding that he hopes there will be no violence on graduation day May 10 when smaller ceremonies will be held by different departments.

A recent graduate wears a garment with their graduation year Thursday on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles.

Maurielle McGarvey graduated from high school in 2019 so was able to have a ceremony but then she took a gap year when many universities held classes only online. McGarvey, who is getting a degree in screenwriting with a minor in gender and social justice studies at USC, called the cancellations "heartbreaking," and said the situation has been grossly mishandled by the university. She said police with batons came at her yelling as she held a banner while she and fellow demonstrators said a Jewish prayer.

"It's definitely been like an overall diminished experience and to take away like the last sort of like typical thing that this class was allowed after having so many weird restrictions, so many customs and traditions changed," she said. "It's such a bummer."

She said the email by the university announcing the cancellation particularly stung with its link to photos of past graduates in gowns tossing up their caps and cheering. "That's just insult to injury," she said.

Students at other universities were equally glum.

Graduating seniors take photos around the Tommy Trojan statue on the University of Southern California campus on Thursday in Los Angeles. The university canceled its main graduation ceremony.

"Our grade is cursed," said Abbie Barkan of Atlanta, 21, who is graduating from the University of Texas in two weeks with a journalism degree and who was among a group of Jewish students waving flags and chanting at a counter-protest Thursday near a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus.

University of Minnesota senior Sarah Dawley, who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, is grateful graduation plans have not changed at her school. But she said the past weeks have left her with a mix of emotions. She's been dismayed to watch colleges call in police.

But she said she also feels hope after having gone through the pandemic and become part of a community that stands up for what they believe in.

"I think a lot of people are going to go on to do cool things because after all this, we care a lot," she said.

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus' Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Tents erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

University of Texas police officers arrest a man at a pro-Palestinian protest on campus, Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Demonstrators chant at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Texas state troopers in riot gear try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A row of Palestinian flags are seen on the fence at the pro-Palestinians demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

State troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses following last week's arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A demonstrator is restrained by police at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

State troopers on horses push back protesters during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A Georgia State Patrol officer detains a protester on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Georgia State Patrol officers detain a protester on the campus of Emory University during an pro-Palestinian demonstration Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Authorities detain a protester on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Protesters are cuffed after being detained on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A police officer detains a protester on the campus of Emory Univeristy during an pro-Palestinian demonstration, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A makeshift camp supporting the Palestinians cause is staged on the UCLA campus, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Student protestors erected approximately 20 tents on Parrish Beach by Clothier Hall at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa. on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Monica Herndon/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus' Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus' Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters fight with University Public Safety officers as they try to remove tents at the campus' Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tent around Alumni Park on the University of Southern California to keep security from removing it during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tents around Alumni Park on the University of Southern California to keep security from removing them during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tents around Alumni Park on the campus of the University of Southern California to keep security from removing them during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protester raises an anti war sign in Alumni Park on the campus of the University of Southern California during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A University of Southern California protester, right, confronts a University Public Safety officer at the campus' Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters push and shove University Public Safety officers as tempers get heated during a pro-Palestinian occupation on the University of Southern California campus Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A woman is arrested at a pro-Palestinan protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Texas state troopers in riot gear try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Student protesters hold up sheets as others pray at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Signs are displayed on tents at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

People sit outside tents at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

A Palestinian flag is displayed at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Pro-Palestinian protesters face off with mounted state troopers at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Students participate in a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A pro-Palestinian protester walks past pro-Israel protesters at the University of Texas Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Cally, a former UT student, faces off with a mounted state trooper at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A woman raises a fist during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A woman is arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A woman is arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

State troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A pro-Palestinian protester faces off with state troopers at the University of Texas Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

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Updated 29 April 2024, 08:12 BST

"Watching Covid patients say goodbye to their families via a Zoom call was difficult and extremely emotional."

Dr George Gardiner was an intensive care consultant at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and treated the most critically ill in the pandemic.

He says health staff who held a phone or iPad for patients and their loved ones witnessed "harrowing scenes" before a ventilator was turned off.

This week the UK Covid inquiry arrives in Northern Ireland.

Why decisions were taken about what happened in hospitals, care homes and how people were buried and who made those decisions will all be investigated.

On Tuesday, the UK Covid inquiry which is sitting in Belfast for three weeks will start hearing from the most senior politicians and health advisors in Northern Ireland about why decisions were taken and by whom.

This is module 2c of the inquiry, which is focussing on decision-making and political governance.

This module will investigate Northern Ireland specifically and will include the initial response, central government decision making, and political and civil service performance.

It will also probe whether Northern Ireland's political nuances had any affect on the effectiveness of the response.

The hearings begin with opening statements and evidence from Covid-19 Bereaved Families and Disability Action.

Core participants who have been named in advance include the former first ministers, Dame Arlene Foster and Paul Givan, and Michelle O'Neill, who was deputy first minster during the pandemic.

Senior representatives from the departments of health, finance, the Executive Office, and the civil service will also be questioned.

Specific names and when they will appear are released weekly.

Other people appearing this week will be Eddie Lynch, the Commissioner for Older People, Sir David Sterling, former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and Jayne Brady the current head of the NI Civil Service.

Brenda Doherty, whose mum Ruth Burke was the fourth person to die in Northern Ireland with Covid-19 is among those leading the local bereaved Families for Justice Group.

"Families were failed. We have always said this inquiry is about learning lessons so that nobody should go through again what we did. This is a living hell," she said.

"We had to meet my mum's coffin at the cemetery gates. We weren't allowed to touch it -we had to stand away from it and were told we could move closer once the coffin was in the hole."

Ms Doherty, who gave evidence at the Covid Inquiry in London, said she will judge the inquiry after it finishes its hearings in Northern Ireland.

"There is already a lot of confidence lost in politicians," she said.

"I think this is their time to show that they can be open and honest and take ownership of the mistakes that were made because there were mistakes.

"I don't want to hear 'I can't recall', or 'I don't remember' because for me it shouldn't be a matter of recalling - if you were making decisions that were impacting people's lives there is bound to be paperwork somewhere and if you can't find the paper work well then something is not right."

Speaking to BBC News NI, Ms Doherty said the inquiry needs to help people cope with loss.

"We have all suffered loss - it is like somebody came and took them and for families who lost both parents it is like they have just vanished," she said.

"My sister says it is like somebody stole Mummy in the middle of the night because we didn't get to see her when she died or in the coffin."

The next three weeks will be important for Northern Ireland.

The UK Covid inquiry will be shining a light on the key decisions made by senior politicians and health officials.

In March 2020, the Northern Ireland Executive had once again been rebooted.

Relations between politicians and the state of the health and social care service were both fragile.

While Northern Ireland fared comparatively better than the rest of the UK in terms of Covid deaths, more than 4,000 people died in the first two years of the pandemic.

Those families want and deserve answers.

These hearings will scrutinise the political tensions that developed in the executive, certain headline events that caused political parties to publicly fall out and whether all of that impacted on how the public kept to the rules.

The Covid inquiry began on 28 June 2022 and is chaired by former judge Baroness Hallett who led the inquests into the 7 July London Bombings.

The inquiry has already had public hearings on resilience and preparedness; the current module 2c hearings are examining core UK decision-making and political governance.

Sitting in Belfast and focussing on what happened in Northern Ireland is significant as it means local politicians and health officials will be probed and the evidence they've provided to the inquiry, including WhatsApp messages and emails, will be questioned and shared publicly.

Baroness Hallett said she intends to publish the report for the first area of work by early summer 2024.

The inquiry is not expected to conclude until sometime in 2026.

Public hearings for the third area of examination - the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems across the UK - are expected to run for 10 weeks from autumn 2024.

Anyone can share their experience through the inquiry's Every Story Matters project.

The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign group - which criticised the government's handling of the pandemic - has urged the inquiry to ensure these voices are heard.

Jennifer Currie's mother June died in hospital in 2020 after contracting Covid while she was being treated for cellulitis.

The family say the circumstances around their mother's death "haunts them" as they were never informed that she was receiving end of life care.

While some of the family had a brief visit on the day she died, Jennifer said they would have insisted staying in the hospital even in the car park to be close by.

"When we went to leave, she said to us please don't leave me I am going to die and that will stay with us forever. Had we had known that my mum was in end of life care - we would never have walked out of that hospital," Jennifer said.

It is hoped the inquiry will listen and learn from those who have provided stories and who are providing evidence.

Dr Gardiner said he hoped that if there is another pandemic, lessons will be learned about how a twin track approach can operate within the health service where other patients with serious health conditions including cancer can continue with treatment.

LOS ANGELES On a recent afternoon, Grant Oh zigzagged across the University of Southern California campus as if he was conquering an obstacle course, coming up against police blockade after police blockade on his way to his apartment while officers arrested demonstrators protesting the Israel-Hamas war.

In many ways, the chaotic moment was the culmination of a college life that started amid the coronavirus pandemic and has been marked by continual upheaval in what has become a constant battle for normalcy. Oh already missed his prom and his high school graduation as COVID-19 surged in 2020. He started college with online classes. Now the 20-year-old will add another missed milestone to his life: USC has canceled its main commencement ceremony that was expected to be attended by 65,000 people.

A graduating senior takes photos under the University of Southern California mascot on campus Thursday in Los Angeles. The school has canceled its main graduation ceremony as protests against the Israel-Hamas war continued to intensify.

His only graduation ceremony was in middle school, and there were no caps and gowns.

"It's crazy because I remember starting freshman year with the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which came after senior year of high school when the Black Lives Matter protests were happening and COVID, and xenophobia," he said "It feels definitely surreal. It still shocks me that we live in a world that is so fired up and so willing to tear itself apart."

Oh, who is getting a degree in health promotion and disease prevention, added that his loss of a memorable moment pales in comparison to what is happening: "At the end of the day, people are dying."

College campuses have always been a hotbed for protests from the civil rights era to the Vietnam war to demonstrations over apartheid in South Africa. But students today also carry additional stresses from having lived through the isolation and fear from the pandemic, and the daily influence of social media that amplifies the world's wrongs like never before, experts say.

Pro-Israeli demonstrators gather near a pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus Thursday in Los Angeles.

It's not just about missed milestones. Study after study shows Generation Z suffers from much higher rates of anxiety and depression than Millennials, said Jean Twenge, a psychologist and professor at San Diego State University, who wrote a book called "Generations." She attributes much of that to the fact that negativity spreads faster and wider on social media than positive posts.

"Gen Z, they tend to be much more pessimistic than Millennials," she said. "The question going forward is do they take this pessimism and turn it into concrete action and change, or dothey turn it into annihilation and chaos?"

Protesters have pitched tents on campuses from Harvard and MIT to Stanford and the University of Texas, Austin, raising tensions as many schools prepare for spring commencements. Hundreds of students have been arrested across the country. Inspired by demonstrations at Columbia University, students at more than a dozen U.S. colleges have formed pro-Palestinian encampments and pledged to stay put until their demands are met.

The campus will be closed for the semester at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, which has been negotiating with students who have been barricaded inside a campus building since Monday, rebuffing an attempt by the police to clear them out.

USC announced Thursday that it would be calling off its main graduation ceremony after protests erupted over not only the Israel-Hamas war but the school's decision earlier this month to call off the commencement speech by its valedictorian Asna Tabassum, who expressed support for Palestinians. Officials cited security concerns.

"By trying to silence Asna, it made everything way worse," Oh said, adding that he hopes there will be no violence on graduation day May 10 when smaller ceremonies will be held by different departments.

A recent graduate wears a garment with their graduation year Thursday on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles.

Maurielle McGarvey graduated from high school in 2019 so was able to have a ceremony but then she took a gap year when many universities held classes only online. McGarvey, who is getting a degree in screenwriting with a minor in gender and social justice studies at USC, called the cancellations "heartbreaking," and said the situation has been grossly mishandled by the university. She said police with batons came at her yelling as she held a banner while she and fellow demonstrators said a Jewish prayer.

"It's definitely been like an overall diminished experience and to take away like the last sort of like typical thing that this class was allowed after having so many weird restrictions, so many customs and traditions changed," she said. "It's such a bummer."

She said the email by the university announcing the cancellation particularly stung with its link to photos of past graduates in gowns tossing up their caps and cheering. "That's just insult to injury," she said.

Students at other universities were equally glum.

Graduating seniors take photos around the Tommy Trojan statue on the University of Southern California campus on Thursday in Los Angeles. The university canceled its main graduation ceremony.

"Our grade is cursed," said Abbie Barkan of Atlanta, 21, who is graduating from the University of Texas in two weeks with a journalism degree and who was among a group of Jewish students waving flags and chanting at a counter-protest Thursday near a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus.

University of Minnesota senior Sarah Dawley, who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, is grateful graduation plans have not changed at her school. But she said the past weeks have left her with a mix of emotions. She's been dismayed to watch colleges call in police.

But she said she also feels hope after having gone through the pandemic and become part of a community that stands up for what they believe in.

"I think a lot of people are going to go on to do cool things because after all this, we care a lot," she said.

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus' Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Tents erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

University of Texas police officers arrest a man at a pro-Palestinian protest on campus, Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Demonstrators chant at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Texas state troopers in riot gear try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A row of Palestinian flags are seen on the fence at the pro-Palestinians demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

State troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses following last week's arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A demonstrator is restrained by police at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

State troopers on horses push back protesters during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A Georgia State Patrol officer detains a protester on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Georgia State Patrol officers detain a protester on the campus of Emory University during an pro-Palestinian demonstration Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Authorities detain a protester on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Protesters are cuffed after being detained on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A police officer detains a protester on the campus of Emory Univeristy during an pro-Palestinian demonstration, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A makeshift camp supporting the Palestinians cause is staged on the UCLA campus, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Student protestors erected approximately 20 tents on Parrish Beach by Clothier Hall at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa. on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Monica Herndon/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus' Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters fight with University Public Safety officers as they try to remove tents at the campus' Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tent around Alumni Park on the University of Southern California to keep security from removing it during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tents around Alumni Park on the University of Southern California to keep security from removing them during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tents around Alumni Park on the campus of the University of Southern California to keep security from removing them during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protester raises an anti war sign in Alumni Park on the campus of the University of Southern California during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A University of Southern California protester, right, confronts a University Public Safety officer at the campus' Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters push and shove University Public Safety officers as tempers get heated during a pro-Palestinian occupation on the University of Southern California campus Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A woman is arrested at a pro-Palestinan protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Texas state troopers in riot gear try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Student protesters hold up sheets as others pray at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Signs are displayed on tents at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

People sit outside tents at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

A Palestinian flag is displayed at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Pro-Palestinian protesters face off with mounted state troopers at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Students participate in a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A pro-Palestinian protester faces off with state troopers at the University of Texas Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Cally, a former UT student, faces off with a mounted state trooper at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A woman raises a fist during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus' Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

State troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A pro-Palestinian protester walks past pro-Israel protesters at the University of Texas Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A woman is arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A woman is arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday April 24, 2024, in Austin. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

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