Lifestyle Acquired Immunity, Decentralized Intelligent Infrastructures, and Revised Healthcare Expenditures May Limit Pandemic Catastrophe: A Lesson From COVID-19

Abstract

Throughout history, the human race has often faced pandemics with substantial numbers of fatalities. As the COVID-19 pandemic has now affected the whole planet, even countries with moderate to strong healthcare support and expenditure have struggled to contain disease transmission and casualties. Countries affected by COVID-19 have different demographics, socioeconomic, and lifestyle health indicators. In this context, it is important to find out to what extent these parametric variations are modulating disease outcomes. To answer this, this study selected demographic, socioeconomic, and health indicators e.g., population density, percentage of the urban population, median age, health expenditure per capita, obesity, diabetes prevalence, alcohol intake, tobacco use, case fatality of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as independent variables. Countries were grouped according to these variables and influence on dependent variables e.g., COVID-19 positive tests, case fatality, and case recovery rates were statistically analyzed. The results suggested that countries with variable median age had a significantly different outcome on positive test rate (P < 0.01). Both the median age (P = 0.0397) and health expenditure per capita (P = 0.0041) showed a positive relation with case recovery. An increasing number of tests per 100 K of the population showed a positive and negative relationship with the number of positives per 100 K population (P = 0.0001) and the percentage of positive tests (P < 0.0001), respectively. Alcohol intake per capita in liter (P = 0.0046), diabetes prevalence (P = 0.0389), and NCDs mortalities (P = 0.0477) also showed a statistical relation to the case fatality rate. Further analysis revealed that countries with high healthcare expenditure along with high median age and increased urban population showed more case fatality but also had a better recovery rate. Investment in the health sector alone is insufficient in controlling the severity of the pandemic. Intelligent and sustainable healthcare both in urban and rural settings and healthy lifestyle acquired immunity may reduce disease transmission and comorbidity induced fatalities, respectively.

High health expenditures and low exposure of population to air pollution as critical factors that can reduce fatality rate in COVID-19 pandemic crisis: a global analysis

“…Therefore, an emergency preparedness and response plan is essential to integrate into the health system of India”. Ahmed et al (2020) focus on demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle health factors of countries to explain different effects of COVID-19 in society. Ahmed et al (2020) show that countries with high average age of population and high percentage of urban population have also a high fatality of COVID-19.…”

“… Ahmed et al (2020) focus on demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle health factors of countries to explain different effects of COVID-19 in society. Ahmed et al (2020) show that countries with high average age of population and high percentage of urban population have also a high fatality of COVID-19. In this research field, Kavitha and Madhavaprasad (2020) maintain that preventive health care measures and policies of social distancing applied on a vast portion of population can constraint the spread of COVID-19.…”

Can commercial trade represent the main indicator of the COVID-19 diffusion due to human-to-human interactions? A comparative analysis between Italy, France, and Spain

“… Coccia, 2020 ). Ahmed et al (2020) focus on different demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle health factors in countries, to explain the variety of COVID-19 effects in societies. The risk of vulnerability of cities to future epidemics and pandemics similar to COVID-19 may be caused by some factors, such as ( Coccia, 2020 ) high air pollution, little wind, high density of population and social interaction, and previous incidence of lung and bronchi cancer.…”

Online Tool for the Assessment of the Burden of COVID-19 in Patients: Development Study

“…Therefore, only one item (exacerbation) from the original ABC tool for COPD was excluded, as it was not described at all in the literature on COVID-19 at the time of development. The lifestyle items were included as well because lifestyle seemed to be an important risk factor for hospitalization [ 27 ] and in influencing outcomes [ 28 ]. We included all items from the literature search and additionally offered an open text field for all other possible symptoms.…”