Loneliness affects health

"The Weaponization of Loneliness" [book] offers a message of hope. We can resist this psychological warfare if we have strong bonds in our families, faith communities, and friendships. Let's resolve to talk to one another openly and often, especially about the consequences of giving in to social pressures and media hype. Indeed, totalitarians always seek to destroy private life because it is the very fount of freedom. (promo)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../the.../1142494107

I haven't read this book, but research in the social and medical sciences had long shown for decades the importance of faith communities and friendships for good health. (Remember "Bowling alone?") So what do you do when the government tells the churches to close because they aren't essential? Well, we know the answer to that one. The churches (all but a few) complied.

Two years ago (too late to help much) research at Harvard reported by Fee.org noted the damage isolation had done. "The most obvious solution to the accelerating loneliness epidemic during the pandemic response is to lift the lockdowns and related public health policies that keep people cruelly separated from one another." Follow the science didn't apply to the obvious; the "science" was too busy trying to destroy President Trump. But research did find younger people were hurt more than older. Liberals and the over-educated academics and politicians particularly revered the bad advice of Fauci and the Biden Administration which damaged the young both physically and mentally for years ahead.

Yesterday I stopped at Panera's for a cup of coffee.  A group of about 12 women rearranged tables for their get-together.  Didn't look like a church group--could have been retired teachers.  As they were gathering, I heard one of them say she'd had Covid three times.  Remember three years ago how thrilled we were to get the vaccination, only to learn later the protection only lasted about 3 months?