Survey: Gay, lesbian, bi youth most likely to consider or attempt suicide during pandemic
Welcome to today's edition of the Florida Coronavirus Watch Newsletter.
As COVID cases and, consequently, COVID-related news dwindle, we have reduced the frequency of our Coronavirus Watch Newsletter to twice weekly. You can expect the newsletter in your inbox Mondays and Thursdays — or as urgent news dictates. Thank you for reading.
Here's what's happening
- The class of people most likely to have considered or attempted suicide during the pandemic? Queer youth. Nearly half of respondents who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual said they had seriously thought about suicide, while one in four lesbian, gay or bisexual youth reported attempting it, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. The survey did not collect responses for transgender youth, instead allowing youth to identify as "other or questioning."
“If students lived with families who were not identity-affirming and had to learn from home, there was no escape from that,” said Leslie McMurray, transgender education and advocacy associate for Resource Center, an LGBT community resource based in Dallas. “They may have been stuck with parents who were vehemently opposed to how they identified.”
USA Today has the story for its subscribers.
- Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations rise as ICU levels, new deaths remain near pandemic lows. Hospitals statewide reported a daily average of 829 patients, the highest level since March 29, during the tail-end of the wave of infections driven by the original omicron variant.
But ICUs across Florida hospitals remain relatively empty as subvariants of the coronavirus omicron mutation fuel another wave of infections and hospitalizations statewide.
- CFDA to start reviewing COVID vaccines for youngest kids in June. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday set tentative dates in June to publicly review COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest American children, typically the final step before authorizing the shots.
The meeting announcement follows months of frustration from families impatient for a chance to vaccinate their little children, along with complaints from politicians bemoaning the slow pace of the process.
- Upsides of the pandemic? People got really into tropical fish. And unlike some of the things people turned to while they were stuck at home — looking at you, sourdough starter — interest doesn't seem to be fading.
“Our sales have grown consecutively every year since we have been in business,” said Brittany Hollon, of The Urban Tropical farm. “We have been in business since 2001 and we have never had a year when we went backwards. It has always increased.”
The Lakeland Ledger has the story for its subscribers.
- COVID patients in the ICU don't suffer alone. A study published last week in JAMA Internal Medicine found nearly 64% of people who had a family member in the intensive care unit for COVID-19 experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder three months after admission.
“I developed some PTSD symptoms,” said Michelle, who couldn't visit her husband Henry while he was struggling in the ICU. “If I hear somebody’s phone going off and it’s the same ringtone I was using while he was in the hospital, that’s a (trigger). I have to shut that off and walk away.”
COVID info to know
COVID-19 will be an issue for a long time to come, and we think more education is better. Here's what you need to know.
ABOUT COVID
Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson vaccine booster shots: Things to know
Where and when can I get a booster/second booster in Florida?
This story is free for everyone: Compare the spread of COVID-19 in your area
AVOIDING COVID
Why N95, KN95 masks are so much more effective against omicron than cloth
Are N95 and KN95 masks reusable and how should you store them?
Can you avoid COVID if a member in your household has it? Ways to decrease your risk
Do I still need to wear a mask? What the new CDC COVID mask guidance means for Florida
TESTING
Is it the flu, a cold, or COVID-19? How to know, and when to get tested
What's the difference between at-home tests, over-the-counter rapid tests, and PCR tests?
DO YOU HAVE COVID?
Were you exposed to coronavirus? Did you test positive? If so, here's what to do next
Long COVID: Why aren't my symptoms going away? Why did they come back? Am I a long-hauler?
What do you want to know about COVID-19? You ask, we'll try to answer
From a reader: "I need a second booster but have lost my wallet with my official record. What to do? I am 83 and it has been over 6 months since my last shot."
Your first step is to contact the provider where you got your first shot. Many places such as Walgreens and CVS keep records and can help you replace a card. Clinics and hospitals that run sites can also help.
If you got your initial vaccination at one of the State of Florida vaccination sites, you can contact the Florida Department of Health Immunizations Records department and put in a request at the Florida SHOTS (State Health Online Tracking System) Program. Here's the form to fill out, you'll need a picture of your drivers license or other ID to upload. For more information, contact the FDOH at 877-888-7468 or email flshots@doh.state.fl.us.
If you enrolled in V-safe or VaxText after your first vaccine dose, you can find your vaccination information there, but that may not help you prove it to anyone else if that becomes necessary.
Anything you'd like to know? Ask your questions here.
Thank you for reading! We appreciate you trusting our statewide journalists to keep you safe and informed. If you are encouraged by our work and want to support your local journalists, please consider subscribing. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Forward this email so they can sign up.
Chris' note of the day: Every 45 seconds, at least one LGBTQ youth in the United States between ages 13 and 24 attempts suicide, according to The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention nonprofit for LGBTQ young people. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 14 and 25 to 34, according to the CDC, but LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to consider, make a plan for or attempt suicide, The Trevor Project says.
If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) any time day or night, or chat online. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741. The Trevor Project provides crisis counselors for LGBTQ youth 24/7, 365 days a year online, over the phone (866-488-7386) or by texting 678678 (regular network charges will apply).
Here's what else is happening with the coronavirus in Florida today.
— C. A. Bridges, cbridges@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Survey: Queer youth most likely to consider or attempt suicide during pandemic
