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The prolongation of the health crisis and its impact on health, the economy and social development

COVID-19 Report, ECLAC-PAHO

Published date 2021-10-14
Author ECLAC-PAHO
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Excerpt:

More than a year and a half has passed since the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was detected in Latin America and the Caribbean, triggering a health crisis that has led to a steady deterioration of the social development process. In 2020, the health crisis sparked the most serious economic contraction of the past 120 years in Latin America and the Caribbean, which also saw the worst economic performance of all the developing regions. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for comprehensive policies and the importance of recognizing the interdependence of health care, the economy, social development and the environment, and its prolongation has served to cement the central role of State action.

The report analyses the region’s main historical weaknesses and gives an overview of current progress in vaccination processes, the public health measures taken by the countries and the demographic evolution of the pandemic. This is followed by a section on the main economic and social impacts of the pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, showing up the vulnerability of the population in different dimensions of this scenario, as well as the centrality of social protection and the role of the State during the protracted health crisis and the need to increase public investment in the health sector.

This title is available in Spanish:

La prolongación de la crisis sanitaria y su impacto en la salud, la economía y el desarrollo social