Assistant Professor, Dept of Pharmacology, Medical College Kolkata, College Street, Kolkata 700073, West Bengal, India.

Postgraduate Trainee, Dept. of Pharmacology, Medical College Kolkata, College Street, Kolkata - 700073, West Bengal, India.

Medical Superintendent cum Vice Principal, Medical College Kolkata, 88, College Street, Kolkata - 700073, West Bengal, India

3rd Professional MBBS Part 1 Undergraduate student, Medical College Kolkata, 88, College Street, Kolkata - 700073, West Bengal, India.

Postgraduate Trainee, Dept. of Pharmacology, Medical College Kolkata, College Street, Kolkata - 700073, West Bengal, India.

Senior Resident, Dept. of Pharmacology, Medical College Kolkata, College Street, Kolkata 700073, West Bengal, India.

Professor, Dept of Pharmacology, Medical College Kolkata, College Street, Kolkata 700073, West Bengal, India
COVID pandemic ,Mental health status ,Undergraduate medical students , dass-21 ,Online class ,

COVID 19 is a global health hazard affecting millions of people worldwide, taking a toll on mental and physical health of the individuals and rampaging the health care systems and the economy of the nations. Lockdowns have been enforced in various parts of the world along with a strict ban on public gatherings and closure of all places involving such, like educational institutions. The mouse has replaced the pen in academics in the new normal way of life. The study conducted from 1st July to 31st August among the 240 consenting undergraduate students in a medical college and hospital in Eastern India aims to screen for depression, anxiety and stress among the undergraduate students using self-administered questionnaire including DASS-21, as well as the efficacy of online classes. The study revealed 57.1% students were depressed, 50.1% anxious and 44.6% were stressed of varying severity. Though 97.5 % of the respondents availed the online class facility, 70.8% of them prefer live offline classes and only 41.7% of the students feel that they have access to the same number of resources as they received earlier in the “bench to bedside” sessions. The major obstacle in the online education platform were found to be unstable internet speeds (46.7%) and technical glitches (25.4%). The study paves the need to address the mental status of the undergraduate students during these times of turmoil as the world battles the onslaught of COVID 19 and academics is hampered. Methods to further enrich the online educational systems are the need of the hour as the digital platform gains more ground and its smooth integration into the realm of education is sought for

11 , 1 , 2021