Covid 19 Case Study

Key Workers in the Covid-19 Context

  • Focus on the impact of Covid-19 and response strategies.

Mitigating the Impact of Covid-19

  • Development of Vaccines:

    • Primary method to mitigate impact.

    • Vaccine development process can take years.

    • By mid-2021, several vaccines developed and offered to the public.

    • Countries like Israel and the UK rolled out vaccination programs quickly.

    • Other countries experienced delays due to various factors.

    • Demand for vaccines often exceeded supply, especially noted in India as of May 2021.

    • Long-term success of vaccinations is still uncertain due to emerging variants.

  • Global Pandemic Response:

    • Covid-19 revealed differences in country responses and health system performance.

    • Cuba emerged as an interesting case despite low GDP per capita.

Environmental and Human Causes

  • Origins of Covid-19:

    • Dominant theory: originated from bats or pangolins.

    • Possible transmission to humans through seafood and animal markets in Wuhan.

    • Identified as the third zoonotic disease after SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.

    • Once in the human population, transmission occurred via aerosols and contact with surfaces.

    • Wuhan's large population (11 million) and status as a transport hub facilitated spread.

Socio-Economic Impacts of Covid-19

  • Global Impact:

    • Sharp reminder of the power of infectious diseases in shaping world events.

    • Without vaccines, governments faced choices:

      • Letting the virus spread.

      • Imposing restrictions on personal liberties (lockdowns, movement restrictions, quarantines).

    • Uneven social impacts of lockdowns:

      • More affluent communities versus those with less living space.

      • Higher death rates observed in older populations, but younger populations faced job losses and educational interruptions.

      • Disparities by ethnicity exacerbated by deprivation and employment distribution.

    • Economic Impacts:

      • Decline in economic activity noted even before Covid-19 (2019).

      • Covid-19 marked a tipping point into a significant global depression, potentially comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

      • Implications for globalization and neoliberal theories from the 1970s are uncertain.

Strategies to Control Covid-19 in Cuba

  • Historical Context:

    • Cuba's health care system is highly regarded despite GDP per capita at US$8800.

    • Experienced long-standing trade sanctions from the US since the 1959 revolution.

  • Response to Covid-19:

    • National Action Plan for Epidemics updated in January 2020.

    • Early measures included sending personnel to China for information gathering.

    • Testing all arrivals for the virus began on March 10, 2020.

    • Initial cases identified among three Italian tourists led to immediate contact tracing.

    • Lockdown initiated on March 20, 2020.

    • Economic measures provided, guaranteeing 50% salary for hospitalized individuals.

    • Borders closed to non-residents on March 24, 2020, despite tourism reliance.

    • Mandatory quarantine for returning Cubans and use of a mobile app for citizen-led epidemiological surveys.

  • Outcomes and Comparisons:

    • By mid-July 2020, death rates in Cuba returned to normal seasonal levels despite the disease not being eradicated.

    • Performance compared favorably to wealthier countries like the UK and USA.

    • Difficulties in comparing Covid-19 data internationally, but Cuba showed effective strategies.

    • Table 11.6 presents Covid-19 case and mortality data:

      • Cuba: 2400 cases, 86 deaths, population 11.3 million.

      • Dominican Republic: 38,100 cases, 804 deaths, population 10.8 million.

      • United Kingdom: 285,000 cases, 44,200 deaths, population 68.1 million.

      • USA: 2,950,000 cases, 129,500 deaths, population 331.1 million.

  • Key Features of Cuban Health Care Model:

    1. Universal free public health care emphasizing prevention over cure with a network of family doctors.

    2. The pharmaceutical industry produces 70% of its own drugs and exports to over 50 countries.

    3. Effective civil defense systems managing natural disasters, facilitating communication and action.

    4. A reputation for providing healthcare assistance abroad, with significant international deployments.

  • Advances in Research and Disease Control:

    • Investment in research for virus and bacterially transmitted diseases often overlooked by large pharmaceutical companies.

Comparative Health and Demographic Data

  • Historical data for Cuba and the USA (WHO, 2015, 2016):

    • Life expectancy at birth:

      • Cuba: 79.1 years

      • USA: 79.3 years

    • Infant mortality rate:

      • Cuba: 5.0 per 1000 live births

      • USA: 39.0 per 100,000 live births

    • Maternal mortality rate:

      • Cuba: 39.0 per 100,000 live births

      • USA: 14.0 per 100,000 live births

    • Health Spending as % of GDP:

      • Cuba: 8.6%

      • USA: 17.0%

    • Per capita health expenditure:

      • Cuba: $US 558

      • USA: $US 8845.

Activities for Further Exploration

  1. Calculate projected deaths in London given different rates of infection and mortality.

  2. Describe economic and societal impacts of a pandemic infecting half of London's population, with a mortality rate of one in 400.

  3. Explain potential variations in mortality rates across different areas within a large city like London.

  4. Suggest mitigation strategies for controlling virus spread in a city like London.