Article Information

Chanchal Maheshwari^1*, Shehroz Khan², Iqra Faraz Hussain¹, Warda Iqbal³

¹Karachi Medical and Dental College, Block M North Nazimabad Town, Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh, Pakistan

²Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Bihar Muslim Society BMCHS Sharafabad, Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh, Pakistan

³Dow University of Health Sciences, Mission Rd, New Labour Colony Nanakwara, Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh, Pakistan

^*Corresponding Author: Chanchal Maheshwari, Karachi Medical and Dental College, Block M North Nazimabad Town, Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh, Pakistan.

Received:  14 August 2024; Accepted: 20 August 2024; Published: 19 September 2024

Citation: Chanchal Maheshwari, Shehroz Khan, Iqra Faraz Hussain, Warda Iqbal. Racism, Discrimination and Inequity During COVID-19 Pandemic - A Review. Archives of Clinical and Medical Case Reports. 8 (2024): 172-174.

Abstract

Keywords

COVID-19; Healthcare

Article Details

1. Introduction

There is no wrong in saying that global outbreaks create fear, anxiety, and social disbalance, but fear is a key ingredient giving birth to racism and xenophobia to thrive among the mass population [1]. COVID -19 has been associated with race, culture, gender, intelligence, and health stigma. People have changed their actions and motives to safeguard themselves from facing discrimination, such as avoiding testing for COVID-19 [2]. This article claims to comment on various sorts and examples of inequalities occurring during pandemic, how it affects nations, and the possible ways to get rid of it, as given below.

2. History of Inequalities in Previous Pandemics

Sydenstricker’s early findings demonstrate the significance of inequalities during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. For instance, India reported a 40 times higher mortality rate than Denmark, 20 times higher mortality rate was seen in Europe [3].

In Norway, the fatality rate was tremendous among working class districts of Oslo, Chicago in the U.S demonstrated high mortality among unemployed and poor groups of people [3].

An urban-rural effect was observed during the Spanish flu pandemic as England and Wales had 30-40% higher mortality rates [3].

Reports state that the pandemic in the USA has long run impacts on inequalities in child health and development [3].

Coronavirus disease surely highlights the breaks and inconsistencies in our social and political setup within communities affecting larger groups of people [1]. The thing that people fear most is isolation, contagiousness, and how society will treat them if they are infected [3].

3. Instances of Inequalities during COVID-19 Pandemic

Initially, as the disease spread from Wuhan, China, it massively uplifted the discrimination towards Chinese people [1,4] flights were banned, travel and business restrictions were imposed. Chinese goods were forbidden, even students living in China from various other countries were called back to their home countries.

As in the past, similar kinds of outcomes were reported during the infectious disease pandemic as a backlash of discrimination, xenophobia was observed during the ARS outbreak in 2003 [5]. As COVID-19 is no different. Epidemiological updates from various authorities and sectors led to enormous attention towards the pandemic via worldwide mass media. However, this triggered public fear, anxiety, and panic.

COVID-19 treatment and medical healthcare facilities were accessible to people from high income countries in spite of no matter what you belong from, everyone is equally entitled to an established healthcare system with no discrimination and uncertainty. However, it was indeed observed that only rich people could afford proper safety and precautionary measures against  COVID-19 pandemic while on the same side poor people didn’t have enough to have a proper meal, they couldn’t even afford medications, expenses for medical facilities such as oxygen cylinders or ventilators. Many people lost their jobs as their owners wanted safety from viral exposure.

On one side, there were online businesses that flourished and so many people did well. On the other side, half of the population suffered. Their living conditions and health safety deteriorated and as the years passed by, they lost everything. If we look at unfairness and inequality in education, similar acts occurred, as poor kids could not afford laptops and internet connection. Various villages and slums suffered from electricity shortage, while on the same hand, rich kids studied at home in a well-settled environment.

Although COVID-19 didn’t discriminate, it had the possibility to affect anyone, but COVID-19 policy responses have disproportionately affected people of color, socioeconomic status, work, limited healthcare and such tidbits of discrimination. There is a lack of social protection in resource poor settings. For various communities and people who were the sole bread earners, self-isolation was impossible and lockdown made their lives more miserable.

People with comorbidities were eventually at an increased risk for viral infection for, e.g., an ethnic group such as in African American population hypertension is more common [6] and in South Asians likewise diabetes is quite frequent [7], so here ethnic discrimination was highlighted [1]. Migrants who have lack of proper documentation avoid hospitals with the fear of getting caught and identification, so they present quite late with the disease and in that duration, they have affected quite a number of people leading to rapid spread of disease.

Political leaders used covid as a motive to influence people for their specific parties and used it misappropriately to reinforce discrimination for e.g., the former Deputy prime minister of Italy wrongly and deliberately linked COVID to African asylum seekers, called in for border closures [1,8].

Restriction of movement isolation created unnecessary negative feelings in people, depression among people got aggravated, suicide rate rose, physical and sexual abuse against women peaked during this crucial period of time, with each passing day things faced downfall.

For the future long run God Forbid if any other pandemic arises, there must be a proper system and pre planned strategy to monitor and prevent adverse health outcomes from such policies.

If social inclusion, justice, and solidarity lack, inequality and discrimination will be magnified, over many folds scapegoating will persist and will pose long run adverse effects.

In 1931, Edgar Sydenstricker outlined socio-economic inequalities in the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic in America. It fulfilled the popular consensus that “Flu hit the rich and poor, black and white alike”. Although it was popularly claimed by the media and politicians that we are in this together and COVID-19 does not discriminate [3].

Results from an Asian study indicated that Asians have experienced increasingly elevated racial discrimination during COVID-19 pandemic, such as hate crimes, microaggressions, vicarious discrimination, inequity, and stigma leading to poor mental and physical health [9].

4. Conclusion

Racism and inequality have been part of our society since forever, but COVID pandemic highlighted discrepancies and lack of solidarity among the mass population. There were many instances where people were denied of their rights, a lot of people faced physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, doctors were assaulted, threatened, and this all is so prevalent because of lack of literacy, etiquette and no empathy. This can be eradicated via awareness, education, and mutual help and respect. World leaders should join hands to terminate this pandemic together and in a better way, neighboring countries should help each other and support so that we as a whole can resolve this matter.

Acknowledgements:

None

Funding Statement:

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Declaration of Interest:

None

Ethical Approval: Ethical approval was not required as no intervention was employed and the study did not contain any clinical data.

Author Contribution Statement:

Shehroz Khan, Iqra and Warda: Creation of idea and design of the work, literature review, composing the initial draft and reviewing it.

Chanchal Maheshwari: Critical revision and editing of work and referencing.

Data Availability Statement:

The data are available from the corresponding author and will be provided with reasonable request.

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