Macroeconomic and health care aspects of the coronavirus epidemic: EU, US and global perspectives

Abstract

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic represents a major challenge for the world economy. While a detailed longer-term diffusion path of the new virus cannot be anticipated for individual countries, one may anticipate international supply shocks and declining GDP growth in many OECD countries and China in 2020; and one should expect falling asset prices in Asia, the United States and the European Union plus the United Kingdomexcept for the price of risk-free government bonds. In the course of 2020/21 the US, the EU and the UK, as well as other countries, will face both an increasing number of infected patients as well as a higher case fatality ratio. Health care expenditures in the US could increase more than in the Eurozone and the EU in the medium term, a development that undermines the international competitiveness of the United States. The analysis suggests that per capita income is a positive function of the effective trade openness and of the new Global Health Security Index indicator from the NTI/Johns Hopkins University. A rising health care-GDP ratio in the US is equivalent to a rising US export tariff. As regards the coronavirus challenge, the ratio of acute care beds to the elderly in OECD countries shows considerable variation. Due to international tourism contraction alone, output growth in the Eurozone, the US and China can be expected to fall by about 1.6% in 2020. The COVID-19 challenge for the US Trump Administration is a serious one, since the lack of experts in the Administration will become more apparent in such a systemic stress situationand this might well affect the November 2020 US presidential election which, in turn, would itself have considerable impacts on the UK and the EU27 as well as EU-UK trade negotiations. Integrating the health care sector into macroeconomics, which should include growth analysis, is an important task. The role of health quality-and health insurance coverage-for endogenous time horizons and economic welfare, respectively, is emphasized.

Prevalence of Stress in Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeast Mexico: A Remote, Fast Survey Evaluation, Using an Adapted COVID-19 Stress Scales

“…COVID-19 stretches the resources of all healthcare systems to their utmost capacity, which is a grave situation, particularly since COVID-19 is now a full fledge pandemic [ 7 ]. Adding extra layers of complexity to the already difficult situation, in third-world countries there are also economic, political, and logistical situations to consider, including the availability of certain pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and adequately trained professionals [ 8 , 9 ]. The overall stress of the situation is especially increased for those who attend patients, as they are not only combating the enemy at home and from the front lines, but they have to deal with the shortcomings of an overloaded system [ 10 , 11 ], limiting their recovery opportunity.…”

“…Even before COVID-19, according to Medina-Mora et al, the overall population in Mexico was already subjected to mental health problems like anxiety, substance abuse, and affective disorders, for which only 1 out of 10 people have received medical attention [ 21 ]. Here we will illustrate the psychological burden to healthcare providers working in a stressed-out healthcare system while under the pandemic conditions of COVID-19, which by many has been described as the worst public health crisis in generations [ 3 , 7 , 8 ].…”

Mild versus Severe Liver Injury in SARS-CoV-2 Infection

“…Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused a pandemic with significant repercussions for not only the public health but also the global economy [ 1 , 2 ]. Respiratory symptoms are central to the disease; however, nonrespiratory symptoms have been frequently observed as well [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

Prevalence of Stress in Healthcare Professional During COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeast México: A Remote Fast Survey Evaluation, the Use of an Adapted COVID-19 Stress Scale

“…The overall map of the situation as seen here poses important challenges to both population and healthcare providers, with an added stress to their overall mental health [5,6,20]. We here will illustrate the psychological burden of working under a stressed-out health care system while under the pandemic conditions of COVID-19, which by many describe it as the worst public health crisis in generations [3,7,8].…”

“…COVID-19 stretches the resources of these health care systems to their utmost capacity, a grave situation particularly since it is now a full fledge pandemic [7]. Adding extra layers of complexity to the already steaming situation, in third world countries there are also to consider economic, political, and logistical situations including availability of certain pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and adequately trained professionals [8,9]. Increasing the overall stress of the situation, in particular of those who attend the patients, whom they are not only combating the enemy at home and from the front lines, but they have to deal with the shortcomings of an overloaded system [10][11][12].…”