Midmorning With Aundrea - September 24, 2020 (Part 1)

(Part 1 of 2) As the US death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 200,000, it's wearing down the mental health of doctors and nurses who treat coronavirus patients.

And online shopping has received a big boost in the pandemic and that doesn't appear to be slowing down soon.

And home sales are going through the roof these days!

Same time, same bat the corona- virus is taking a serious toll on doctors and nurses' ámental healthá as america's death toll approaches 200 thousand.

The largest study of frontline medical workers at the height of the pandemic in new york city found 57 percent of them had acute stress.

48 percent saw depressive symptoms. nearly 75 percent experienced insomnia.

Senior medical correspondent dr. tara narula spoke with doctors and nurses in new york city, new mexico, and florida about the stress they face.

1: nathan nielsen, m.d.

/ associate professor of medicine at the university of new mexico school of medicine 2: jacqueline jackson / nurse at lenox hill hospital, ny script: nathan nielsen, m.d.: 00:06:38 // you train expecting that someday there may be a catastrophe, but living it is something i don't think you ever fully are prepared for.

// we may walk into the building, take care of our patients, do what we have to do, but on the inside, you know, we're suffering.

// we just went from one patient to another without having any time in between to process what just happened.

// it's made me almost rethink my career choice.

Rethink what it is to be a nurse tara narula: 00:09:15 describe for me the toll that this has taken on you emotionally and mentally.

What kind of toll did all of this take on you physically?

I don't honestly know if i've been this tired in my life.

// we're tired emotionally, intellectually, spiritually.

// 00:10:48 i meet criteria for "mil depression."

There are emotional places in my icu i don't like going past anymore because of cases i remember.

A 24-year-old with children who died from a stroke.

A 25- year-old man who died with his parent and his wife at his bedside.

Sorry.

It's-- still hard i have, like, terrible insomnia.

If i close my eyes, i experience nightmares.

I close my eyes and i see the patient that i took care of last.

I see the image.

Just images of suffering // and i think that's gonna scar me for life nightmares about like my creepiest assignment.

Like, did i do everything that i needed to do?

// i feel like the anxiety is kind of just following me into sleep and so i'm not getting adequate rest.

You try to fall asleep, but my mind was completely replaying what i went through-- throughout the day.

And-- there was a lot of an anxiety what i might witness the next day.

// would i really have to decide who lives and who dies?

I think, surprisingly, we found that about over 50% of individuals had acute stress disorder.

Which may develop actually in post- tramuatic stress disorder.

// 00:07:28 we also found that nearly half of our participants developed depressive symptoms. // just to go through that raw emotions, that was just scary.

// fearful.

"i'm no gonna live tomorrow.

Will i bring this home to my family?

What am i gonna do?"

Jus questions.

Questions.

Questions.

Having to kind of absorb what family members would usually absorb.

Like, we are there at the bedside for hours on end.

We're there at the end of life.

// 00:20:49 and so now we're absorbing that grief in those moments.

And maybe multiple times in a shift.

So that's difficult.

Do you worry about p.t.s.d.?

A lot.

I think, for the most part, i may be exhibiting slight symptoms of p.t.s.d.

// because i can feel the difference in my personality.

I'm usually a bubbly person and i think i've lost that.

// my fuse is shorter.

I'm more irritable.

It's easy to become angry.

// i think i'm just frayed.

You know, it's like being a rope, where you just twist and you twist, and eventually you fray.

// why do you think it's so difficult for healthcare workers and medical professionals to talk about issues around mental health?

Like depression?

Anxiety?

Fear?

// we're kind of expected to just suck it up, to compartmentalize everything we see..

As though we won't be valued in our profession if we speak on what we live on our daily lives and what's kind of part of us.

// // the white coat makes a great straitjacket, and we don't talk about the things we need to.

And that needs to stop.

// right now in covid, the idea of being the health care hero, really adds this increased burden on individuals.

00:32:06 // when you see these billboards of "health car heroes," and "o heroes wear scrubs," and yo look at yourself and you realize, "i' no hero.

I'm broken, i'm hurting."

It's jus another point of self-critique, "tha i'm supposed to be this hero now."

An i'm not.

And it's another point of pain.

We're seen as resilient.

That we're unbreakable.

00:24:43 but we're human.

We're human just as our patients are.

And if we don't address what we have going on internally, it's really difficult to adequately care for our patients.

00:33:11 // covid-19 has provided us an ability to talk about our own vulnerabilities and to say, "that' okay, because from vulnerability actually that's the birth place for courage.

It's a birth place of joy."

And i think it's really, really important to be okay with that.

Intro se september is national suicide prevention awareness month and this year, an oregon father decided to take the heartbreaking experience of losing his teenage son...on the road.

Doug peterson just finished biking from canada to mexico to raise money and increase awareness for suicide prevention.

Chris martinez caught up with him in long beach, california.

Pkg doug peterson is on an 18-hundred mile mission...riding his bike from canada to mexico for people whose lives have been touched by suicide.

In 2015, peterson's 17-year-old son page took his own life.

"someho depression took over his life and in a hurry.// so we came home one day and he had taken his truck and pulled on our barn and kept running, and that was it."

After a year of deep sadness, peterson turned to hisis bike for some exercise therapy...and then set his sights on this multi-state journey.

From washington state, through his homestate of oregon and weeks in california, he connected with others who've lost loved ones.

"everybody has story, everybody has lost someone, knows someone directly, indirectly."

A c-d-c study finds more than 48- thousand people died by suicide in the u-s in 2018.

Researchers also say suicide has increased 35 percent since 1999 and is now the 10th leading cause of death in the u-s.

"doug's ride wa sponsored by the california apparel company, pair of thieves which produced these socks with the words never alone above the ankle and the suicide prevention hotline on the toe."

"if nothing else it's just a conversation to have, what are the socks about, why are you wearing those, what's the story with those?"

Peterson has worn the socks everyday of his journey.

"when you'r suffering from depression, you tend to kind of suffer in silence and you don't ask.

And there's a stigma and we got to get rid of that stigma.

Ask the question, are you ok?

No, i'm not ok.

Ok, let's get you some help."

Words he wishes he said to his son, and now wants to tell others .

Chris martinez, cbs news, long beach, ca.

Tag "pair of thieves" donating $2 from every pair of socks purchased to the american foundation for suicide prevention.

Shopping didn't slow down during the earliest days of the pandemic.

But show you honline shopping got a big boost during the pandemic and new data shows that's not changing.

Elise preston reports.

Tieandra cole used to do all of her grocery shopping in person... but the coronavirus changed that.

"i really just don' feel comfortable going into the stores right now."

So she's buying her food online... through instacart.

Everything is delivered right to her home.

Elise preston: "d you foresee going back into the grocery store, you're going to stick with instacart."

Tieandra cole: "quite honestly, don't see a need to go back to the grocery store."

While grocery stores never shutdown, a growing number of americans have turned to the web.

And even with retail stores re- opening.... overall online shopping remains strong.

A report from adobe analytics shows online sales up 42 percent in august, reaching 63 billion dollars.

"things lik grocery and the electronics category as a whole, those types of categories have settled into what we'd assume as being the new normal for online commerce where people have started just naturally buying some of these products online."

The surge in orders is creating shipping delays.... leading shoppers to buy online and pick up in store..

Those sales have the own acronym: "bopis"... a they're up a whopping 259 percent compared to last year.

"they can purchas online and they can get it in the store with limited interactions in the store and then to be able to also save money on shipping."

Tieandra isn't just buying on the internet.... she also owns a small sauce company.

Business is up 75 percent since the pandemic started thanks to a boost in online sales.

"this entir pandemic has forced everyone to kind of create a new normal and shift and change."

For millions of shoppers that shift includes more pointing and clicking.

Elise preston, cbs news, new york.

For many families, the highlight of fall is traditional trick or treating.

But as communities cancel larger fall events, the cdc says the tradition of going door to door should be avoided, warning that's a higher risk activity that could spread the coronavirus.

Here's more on what parents should know.

The duffy family goes all out for halloween... dressing up in themed costumes every year.

But with the pandemic..

They are planning a different holiday this year.

I just want them to go to the houses of the people we know specifically keep their distance the cdc is cautioning that many halloween activities are high risk and should be avoided.

Including traditional door to door trick-or- treating , trunk or treat events with cars lined up in large lots, and crowded indoor costume parties.

Any activity where there's large groups of people in close contact, without physical distancing, without facial coverings one way trick-or- treating where bags are lined up to grab while social distancing would be moderate risk.

So are small, outdoor costume parades and parties where people are six feet apart and weaning protective masks.

Dr. jill weatherhead is an infectious disease doctor at baylor college of medicine.

A halloween mask does not substitute for a traditional facial covering experts hope families will consider safer alternatives this halloween like carving pumpkins at home or scavenger hunts where kids walk from house to house keeping a good distance.

If you plan to visit a scary outdoor place ..

The greater distance the better.

Things like screaming, yelling, talking loudly that are often taking place during halloween, because of haunted houses or scary movies can actually lead to airborne transmission of the virus my children are very aware that we are still in a pandemic and we just have to be smart and safe and if you have covid-19 or may have been exposed...sit this halloween out..

Or it could be a very scary situation for others...naomi ruchim, cbs news , new york.

Plastic surgery procedures are on the rise during the coronavirus pandemic - and doctors say it's thanks in large part to the new way many of us are doing our jobs.

Chris martinez explains.

David rosenberg says his services are in high demand... "so it's definitel botox and fillers..."

The beverly hills plastic surgeon has seen a swell of patients - old and new - coming in with what he calls 'zoom anxiety'... thanks to the new normal of interacting with others on camera.

"people have bee seeing themselves up close on these meetings and it's freaking them out.

For either some botox or get their lips done, throw on a mask, have that covered for recovery over the weekend and then be back zooming on monday."

Doctor says many patients are seeking surgery to take advantage of home quarantine - allowing them to quietly have procedures done and avoid being seen while they recover.

"there are n parties, so everybody wants to get in and have a facelift, everyone wants to get in and have their mommy makeover done."

But vanity isn't the only motivation behind the surgery spike.

When the pandemic first began - covid- 19 fears forced the cancelation of many procedures - and doctors are now having to catch up... "i was a littl concerned about doing my surgery during a pandemic..."

Laura lawrie had to reschedule a procedure to have her breast implants removed because of a complication.

Her doctor's new, enhanced safety procedures eased her concerns..

Most plastic surgeons require their patients test negative for covid- 19 before allowing their surgery to take place.

"it made m feel//safer to do the surgery."

Doctor rosenberg says he's also seeing patients who have more time and money on their hands.

"i'm not spendin money on movies, travel, dining.

I can put that money to, you know, having some spoiling of myself at home.

Almost like a staycation except for your face."

He anticipates - as the pandemic continues - the surge in business will too.

Chris martinez, cbs news, los angeles bigger isn't always better.

We'll show you why ahead on mid th the overall economy may be hurting, but home sales are going through the roof, despite the coronavirus outbreak.

They went up by more than two- percent last month, reaching a 14-year high.

Compared to august last year, the sales increased by more than ten-percent.

Buyers are closing on new homes partly because of low interest rates.

But homes are also getting more expensive, with the median home price reaching close to 311-thousand dollars.

That's a jump of more than eleven- percent compared to august 20-19.

An economist from the national association of realtors says the sales will likely keep growing for the rest of the year.

So much so - that he believes affordable homes will become harder to come by because of the short supply.

People aren't always thinking "big" in the housi market.

Betty yu shows us why "mini" hom are booming in the bay area right now.

Betty during the pandemic, living space has become an even more prized commodity, especially here in the bay area.

It's why many homeowners are looking at one particular bay area builder to create more room, and get it done quickly.

Courtesy: abodu it was a showstopping delivery..

A brand new 335 square foot prefab studio lifted from the back of a truck, and freshly installed on a foundation in the backyard of a century-old home in oakland.

Nats home install from crane redwood city- based abodu says interest in its accessory dwelling units or adus, also known as granny flats or backyard cottages, has more than doubled since the pandemic began.

A typical project can be done in as little as 12 weeks, from the day the permit is pulled.

Sot: john geary / ceo - abodu "we've seen lots o families solving for acute family needs.

So mother in law, father in law that's in an assisted living facility, they're worried about the risk of covid spread come the fall, or children that are coming back from college because college campuses are closed."

Nats james showing us his vision for the office... in the jirn family's case - sot: james jirn / homeowner "my wife and i w have two young kids and my older daughter wanted her own space and my home office, because of covid i'm there a lot more now and she wanted her own space so i was getting kicked out of my home office."

After hiring an architect to look at building an adu the traditional way, the route proved to be too costly and lengthy.

The abodu studio unit which comes with a bedroom area, and full kitchen and bathroom, starts at 190 thousand dollars.

It includes construction costs, utility connections, delivery, and managing all permits with the city.

Sot: james "it was like havin your own concierge service, everything was taken care of for you.

We didn't have to go out and make sure things were permitted, or documents were signed."

Adu construction in california has surged dramatically with the passage of new legislation graphic in 2018, nearly 6 thousand permits were issued in 2019 - more than 15 thousand sot: john "the benefit o building prefab is it takes the noise, and the stress, and the hassle and the mess of construction, out of the backyard, which for a typical site build could last 8, 10, 12 months."

Today's install in oakland is abodu's first.

The neighbors here have no complaints sot: kayce thayer / neighborhood "actually there's neighborhood across the street from us who is rebuilding their house right now and it is very loud and wakes my kids up frequently from their naps but like this one was done in the day and very little disturbance."

In oakland, betty yu kpix 5.

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