Instances of inequalities during COVID-19 pandemic:
Initially, as the disease spread from Wuhan, China, it massively
uplifted the discrimination towards Chinese people (1,4), flights were
banned, travel and business restrictions were imposed. Chinese goods
were forbidden, even students living in China from various other
countries were called back to their home countries.
As in the past, similar kinds of outcomes were reported during the
infectious disease pandemic as a backlash of discrimination, xenophobia
was observed during ARS outbreak in 2003(5). As COVID-19 is no
different. Epidemiological updates from various authorities and sectors
led to enormous attention towards the pandemic via worldwide mass media.
However, this triggered public fear, anxiety, and panic.
COVID-19 treatment and medical healthcare facilities were accessible to
people from high income countries in spite of no matter what you belong
from, everyone is equally entitled to an established healthcare system
with no discrimination and uncertainty. However, it was indeed observed
that only rich people could afford proper safety and precautionary
measures against COVID-19 pandemic while on the same side poor people
didn’t have enough to have a proper meal, they couldn’t even afford
medications, expenses for medical facilities such as oxygen cylinders or
ventilators. Many people lost their jobs as their owners wanted safety
from viral exposure.
On one side, there were online businesses that flourished and so many
people did well. On the other side, half of the population suffered.
Their living conditions and health safety deteriorated and as the years
passed by, they lost everything. If we look at unfairness and inequality
in education, similar acts occurred, as poor kids could not afford
laptops and internet connection. Various villages and slums suffered
from electricity shortage, while on the same hand, rich kids studied at
home in a well-settled environment.
Although COVID-19 didn’t discriminate, it had the possibility to affect
anyone, but COVID-19 policy responses have disproportionately affected
people of color, socioeconomic status, work, limited healthcare and such
tidbits of discrimination. There is a lack of social protection in
resource poor settings. For various communities and people who were the
sole bread earners, self-isolation was impossible and lockdown made
their lives more miserable.
People with comorbidities were eventually at an increased risk for viral
infection for, e.g., an ethnic group such as in African American
population hypertension is more common (6) and in South Asians likewise
diabetes is quite frequent (7), so here ethnic discrimination was
highlighted. (1) Migrants who have lack of proper documentation avoid
hospitals with the fear of getting caught and identification, so they
present quite late with the disease and in that duration, they have
affected quite a number of people leading to rapid spread of disease.
Political leaders used covid as a motive to influence people for their
specific parties and used it misappropriately to reinforce
discrimination for e.g., the former Deputy prime minister of Italy
wrongly and deliberately linked COVID to African asylum seekers, called
in for border closures. (1)(8)
Restriction of movement isolation created unnecessary negative feelings
in people, depression among people got aggravated, suicide rate rose,
physical and sexual abuse against women peaked during this crucial
period of time, with each passing day things faced downfall.
For the future long run God Forbid if any other pandemic arises, there
must be a proper system and pre-planned strategy to monitor and prevent
adverse health outcomes from such policies.
If social inclusion, justice, and solidarity lack, inequality and
discrimination will be magnified, over many folds scapegoating will
persist and will pose long run adverse effects.
In 1931, Edgar Sydenstricker outlined socio-economic inequalities in the
1918 Spanish influenza epidemic in America. It fulfilled the popular
consensus that “Flu hit the rich and poor, black and white alike”.
Although it was popularly claimed by the media and politicians that we
are in this together and COVID-19 does not discriminate. (3)
Results from an Asian study indicated that Asians have experienced
increasingly elevated racial discrimination during COVID-19 pandemic,
such as hate crimes, microaggressions, vicarious discrimination,
inequity, and stigma leading to poor mental and physical health. (9)