Inequalities and Social Resilience in Times of COVID-19

Abstract

| COVID-19 has exposed, reproduced, and created new inequalities in Latin America and the world. In this introductory paper, we discuss the impact of extant inequities on vulnerability to COVID-19 but we also identify new, and some unexpected, vulnerabilities. We emphasize vulnerabilities to the disease as well as vulnerabilities to policies and other responses in the fight against COVID-19. Building on insights from Peter Hall and Michele Lamont's work on social resilience, we draw on the papers of this special issue to identify the important role of the state in addressing vulnerabilities and discuss the types of social resilience that vulnerable groups have turned to in their response to COVID-19.

Using an Intersectional Lens on Vulnerability and Resilience in Minority and/or Marginalized Groups During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

“…In the United States, access to green spaces was more often seen on the nexus to racism, which was related to low socioeconomic status ( Bikomeye et al, 2021 ; Garcia, 2021 ). In Latin America, inequality in resource allocation and the lack of financial aid by the state resulted in the higher vulnerability of the population ( Andia and Chorev, 2021 ). In this context, the state had the ability to increase or mitigate the vulnerability.…”

“…Relying on grassroots organizations and individual commitments to provide support and connectedness to individuals of a community was not seen as sufficient from a Latin American perspective ( Andia and Chorev, 2021 ). An approach at a structural level was needed, such as political engagement, to recognize and integrate such grassroot and individual responses in an overall strategy to support communities, as discussed in Malaysia and Canada ( Daud, 2021 ; Morgan et al, 2022 ).…”

Ewolucja pojęcia odporności społecznej wskutek doświadczeń pandemii COVID-19 i kryzysu imigracyjnego

“…Co sprawia, że poza rolą instytucji, ważny jest także kapitał społeczny wynikający z trzech aspektów -przywiązania do miejsca, poczucia wspólnoty i uczestnictwa obywateli (Alizadeh i Sharifi 2021;Noris, 2008). Co więcej, OS wcale nie musi wynikać wyłącznie ze sztywnych zasad i reguł, wręcz przeciwnie -może być wytworem kreatywnego procesu, w trakcie którego ludzie wybierają działania z szerokiej gamy rozwiązań, będące czymś znacznie więcej, niż tylko wykorzystaniem dostępnych zasobów (Andia i Chorev, 2021). Odporność społeczną można zatem określać, w pewnym stopniu, jako zdolność do kreatywnego radzenia sobie z trudnościami (Alizadeh i Sharifi, 2022).…”

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic trusted in pharmacovigilance to diminish communication risk

“…In a globalized world, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the tremendous differences between world populations, the inequities of global health and the need to balance the opportunities to fight against an infection caused by a virus whose lethality is not the highest, but whose speed of contagion and development of genetic variants have put global health on alert and affected, in an unimaginable way, the economies of poor and middle-income countries, whose response capacity has been challenged. 2 …”

“…In a globalized world, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the tremendous differences between world populations, the inequities of global health and the need to balance the opportunities to fight against an infection caused by a virus whose lethality is not the highest, but whose speed of contagion and development of genetic variants have put global health on alert and affected, in an unimaginable way, the economies of poor and middle-income countries, whose response capacity has been challenged. 2 COVID-19 has been handled, in general, with no more resources, until recently, than a non-pharmacological approach based mainly on biosafety measures and lockdowns that allowed health systems, in many parts of the world where this has been possible, to adapt and prepare for the high demand of services and intensive care beds. 3,4 The introduction of vaccines for COVID-19 and the importance of pharmacovigilance The introduction of COVID-19 vaccines has been a great relief to those at risk of this disease.…”