COVID-19 And Human Development: Exploring global preparedness and vulnerability
Every society, group, and individual is vulnerable to adverse events. However, when it comes to shocks such as COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to respond is significantly lower and unequally distributed. The level of human development and its inequality, together with healthcare system capacity, can portray countries’ preparedness to respond effectively and efficiently to a health crisis. For example, a very high human development country has on average 55 hospital beds, over 30 physicians, and 81 nurses per 10,000 people, compared to 7 hospital beds, 2.5 physicians, and 6 nurses in a least developed country. Widespread lockdowns around the world mean many people are having to rely on Internet access to work, continue with their education, and interact with others. The digital divide has become more significant than ever, as hundreds of millions of people around the globe still don’t have access to reliable broadband internet.
