Socioeconomic determinants of COVID‐19 in Asian countries: An empirical analysis

Abstract

The spread of coronavirus disease, 2019, has affected several countries in the world including Asian countries. The occurrences of COVID infections are uneven across countries and the same is determined by socioeconomic situations prevailing in the countries besides the preparedness and management. The paper is an attempt to empirically examine the socioeconomic determinants of the occurrence of COVID in Asian countries considering the data as of June 18, 2020, for 42 Asian countries. A multiple regression analysis in a cross‐sectional framework is specified and ordinary least square (OLS) technique with heteroscedasticity corrected robust standard error is employed to obtain regression coefficients. Explanatory variables that are highly collinear have been dropped from the analysis. The findings of the study show a positive significant association of per capita gross national income and net migration with the incidence of total COVID‐19 cases and daily new cases. The size of net migration emerged to be a potential factor and positive in determining the total and new cases of COVID. Social capital as measured by voters' turnout ratio (VTR) in order to indicate the people's participation is found to be significant and negative for daily new cases per million population. People's participation has played a very important role in checking the incidence of COVID cases and its spread. In alternate models, countries having high incidence of poverty are also having higher cases of COVID. Though the countries having higher percentage of aged populations are more prone to be affected by the spread of virus, but the sign of the coefficient of this variable for Asian country is not in the expected line. Previous year health expenditure and diabetic prevalence rate are not significant in the analysis. Therefore, people‐centric plan and making people more participatory and responsive in adhering to the social distancing norms in public and workplace and adopting preventive measures need to be focused on COVID management strategies. The countries having larger net migration and poverty ratio need to evolve comprehensive and inclusive strategies for testing, tracing, and massive awareness for sanitary practices, social distancing, and following government regulation for management of COVID‐19, besides appropriate food security measures and free provision of sanitary kits for vulnerable section.

Impact of the vitamin D deficiency on COVID-19 infection and mortality in Asian countries

“…Additionally, an underlying chronic condition obesity as a potential risk factor was studied and findings showed; total population affected (r = 0.46; p < 0.001) and mortalities per million population (r = 0.34; p < 0.05) by COVID-19 were both significantly positively correlated with obesity prevalence [ 7 ]. Asia being the largest continent includes an estimated equivalent to 60% of the world's population closing in on 4.7 billion currently [ 8 ] and expected to see an increased incidence of COVID-19 [ 9 ]. The first report and subsequent outbreak was traced in China [ 10 ] and spreading to other neighbouring Asian countries [ 11 ].…”

“…The first report and subsequent outbreak was traced in China [ 10 ] and spreading to other neighbouring Asian countries [ 11 ]. The rate of COVID infections is uneven across countries and having contributed tremendously to the growth of the global economy the socio-economic evolution among the countries in Asia may cause to be a determinant besides the preparedness and management [ 9 ].…”

The Use of Decision Trees for Analysis of the Potential Determinants for the Incidence of Deaths and Cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Different Countries

“…Reduction of infection rate with an increase in the maximum temperature was found by Behnood et al (2020). Singu et al (2020), Hawkins et al (2020), and Varkey et al (2020 suggest the influence of systemic social inequalities and differences in socioeconomic status (SES). High incidence of deaths from the COVID virus among individuals with income below median are described by Seligman et al (2021).…”

Sickness and the Social Brain: Love in the Time of COVID

“…Devastatingly, the populations that appear to be most vulnerable to COVID-19 are also those that bear the greatest burden of psychosocial stress. Specifically, COVID-19 infection and COVID-19-related deaths are highest in minority and low socioeconomic status (SES) populations both in the United States and worldwide ( 7 – 10 ). Importantly, social isolation and social stress—at either the level of the individual or the social group—have been shown to negatively impact immune function, while positive social relationships and higher status within social hierarchies enhance many aspects of immune defense and thus may protect against infection, across a wide array of infectious disease ( 11 , 12 ).…”