Prevailing opinion holds COVID-19 is a high-income epidemic, affecting richer countries. Certainly, the death rates have been higher, and we blame it on our aging population. However, Brookings Institution questions whether the global health imbalance has really been turned upside. It questions whether this is a high income or a developing nation pandemic.
The Evidence for This Being a Low Income Pandemic
Certainly, the attention was on high income deaths at first. That was because the pandemic spread from Asia westward across the developed world. This made sense, because the West is a hub for high speed airborne transport. There were not enough aircraft traveling to the southern hemisphere to maintain the balance.
But then two things happened to nudge the health crisis from a high income to a lower income pandemic.
1…. In the first instance, the West tightened its border controls, managed the spread of the virus internally, and started vaccinating recently.
2… In the second instance, the virus found its way across developing nation borders, where authorities did not have resources to implement similar measures.
The High Income or Developing Nation Pandemic: Case Closed
Brookings Institution confirms the swing of the pandemic towards the developing world. This was not always the case though, it agrees. That was because the West took the brunt initially, and struggled to contain surges during winter months.
However, that disadvantage is reversing with more effective healthcare, and an abundance of vaccine. But this is not just a question of a developing nation pandemic, compared to a high income one. The situation could actually be worse there because of limited testing.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on May 28, 2021. ‘We need to vaccinate as quickly as possible the maximum number of people … all over the world. It is our moral duty; it is also in everyone’s interests’.
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Preview Image: Global Confirmed COVID Infections
Brookings Institution Thought Piece
Research
high income or developing nation pandemic
Total Confirmed COVID Deaths by Income Band (Data John Hopkins University Image Our World in Data)
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/covid-deaths-income
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en_US
Cumulative Confirmed COVID Infections by Region (Data John Hopkins University Image Our World in Data)
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cumulative-covid-cases-region
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en_US
