Exploring COVID-19’s Persistence in Developing Regions

Five years after the emergence of COVID-19, it's hard to remember how society ever got past the long stretch of lockdowns and widespread panic. While new technology and biomedical findings have improved our fight against the disease, that’s really only the case for those of us living in the better half of the world. The rapid onslaught of cases worldwide revealed deeper inequalities that world leaders continue to put off: while wealthier nations quickly resumed normal life after vaccine discoveries, many developing areas still struggle with healthcare challenges that were either exposed or exacerbated by the pandemic. 

Before we dive into these issues, it's important to understand how COVID-19 has severely impacted human development. Recent reports show that between 2019-2021, levels of global life expectancy and global healthy life expectancy dropped back to that of 2012 ↗, erasing nearly a decade of progress. Younger generations ↗ are facing the brunt of these effects due to overall lower immunity from high mortality rates as well as heightened poverty due to unfamiliar obstacles in education and economic opportunity during key development years. The curtailing of these demographics left a lasting mark on humanity, which now needs years of effort from us to rebuild from.

One of the problems we’ve seen come up from COVID-19’s rampage is a global disparity in vaccine access. According to medicinal surveys, nearly 50% of unvaccinated respondents in 2023 ↗ were still waiting on appointments, and this rate was highest in low-income regions (specifically Africa). This strongly portrays how increasingly vulnerable lower-income communities are to vaccine-preventable diseases ↗, especially with their weaker immunization systems that affect health infrastructure, vaccine supply and service distribution. Global supply chains ↗ shoulder this inequity as well, with richer countries having more high capacity supply networks that reduce distribution times as well as new biotechnology that manufactures vaccine batches faster. 

In addition to vaccine shortages, COVID-19 exposed structural vulnerabilities in health infrastructure as well. The rapid spread of the virus placed immense strain on already underfunded healthcare systems lacking sufficient equipment or personnel to combat such a large-scale health crisis ↗, and when these hospitals were unable to deal with the overflow of patients, the circumstances were catastrophic. A massive shortage of life-saving equipment such as face masks, ventilators and oxygen supplies was initially seen in low-income countries, who still struggle to meet this demand today. An unreliable supply of protective equipment created challenges for healthcare workers ↗, many of whom were unsafely exposed to COVID-19 pathogens. Low-income nations lacked proper training and/or even programs for previous vaccination treatment (around 41% specifically), adding to the stress of nurses and doctors. Considering its strain on the supply of physical and human capital necessary for foundational medical efforts, it's therefore incontestable how COVID-19 revealed the desperation of poorer nations for health reform.

With all of the issues described above, how can we ever begin to solve this looming issue? As a global community, our first steps must start from above. Governments and international organizations must prioritize equitable medical supply distribution in low-income nations (including, but not limited to, vaccines and protective equipment) by funding health restructuring programs and supporting local manufacturing initiatives. This will reduce the gap in health access between the Global North and South while simultaneously preparing the world for future pandemics. Additionally, public health campaigns need to rebuild trust in vaccines and combat misinformation through community-based efforts. Additionally, a global pandemic treaty could ensure better coordination and resource-sharing in future crises; although one failed to pass this summer, the issue is reportedly going to be revisited↗. 

While significant progress has been made since the lifting of COVID-19 shutdowns, there is much work to be done across the globe. As aforementioned, an approach on advocacy and access is crucial to address the multiple issues at hand. It’s realistic that we cannot predict when another pandemic will arise, but it's certainly plausible for us to take steps now in order to prevent the healthcare collapse of 2020 from repeating again.