Call for Action to Address Equity and Justice Divide During COVID-19

Abstract

The coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) is deepening the inequity and injustice among the vulnerable communities. The current study aims to present an overview of the impact of COVID-19 on equity and social justice with a focus on vulnerable communities. Vulnerable communities include, but not limited to, healthcare workers, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic or minority groups, immigrants or refugees, justice-involved populations, and people suffering from chronic diseases or mental illness. The implications of COVID-19 on these communities and systemic disparities beyond the current pandemic are also discussed. People from vulnerable communities' experience disproportionately adverse impacts of COVID-19. COVID-19 has exacerbated systemic disparities and its long-term negative impact on these populations foretell an impending crisis that could prevail beyond the COVID-19 era. It is onerous that systemic issues be addressed and efforts to build inclusive and sustainable societies be pursued to ensure the provision of universal healthcare and justice for all. Without these reinforcements, we would not only compromise the vulnerable communities but also severely limit our preparedness and response to a future pandemic.

Less Social Support for Patients With COVID-19: Comparison With the Experience of Nurses

“…Several lines of evidence indicate that social support can provide beneficial effects to reduce the risk of depression in children, adolescents, young adults, middle-aged people, the elderly, and healthcare workers ( 8 – 11 ). Similarly, regarding anxiety assessment, a large number of studies suggest that the anxiety score is inversely related to social support ( 12 ). In other words, social support also has a protective effect against anxiety, and a low social support score can be used to predict the incidence of anxiety ( 13 , 14 ).…”

COVIDTAS COVID-19 Tracing App Scale—An Evaluation Framework

“…Aarogya Setu app from India is one of the most popular CTAs with more than 100 million downloads and the highest number of ratings from Play Store (1,335,785). The app also received the most reviews (54,043; 4504 reviews/month) and replies to reviews (33,385; 2782 replies/month).…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic, through its sheer scale has highlighted and widened the socioeconomic divides that exist today and made vulnerable populations such as those with chronic illnesses, elderly, minorities, people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds, etc., more susceptible [1]. Mobile phones and digital technology has been in the forefront of addressing this crisis in fields varying from education to [2] healthcare [3].…”

Virtual Reality as a Technological-Aided Solution to Support Communication in Persons With Neurodegenerative Diseases and Acquired Brain Injury During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Public health preventions have centered around social-distancing, masks, and hand-washing strategies. Patients with chronic neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer, Parkinson, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), demyelinating diseases as multiple sclerosis, and persons with acquired brain injuries (e.g., stroke, post-coma) have been impacted by lockdowns—making them vulnerable during the COVID-19 ( 16 ). In order to deal with these issues, one may envisage assistive technology (AT)-based strategies ( 17 , 18 ).…”