The tortoise and the hare: The race between vaccine rollout and new COVID variants

Abstract

This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. | ECO/WKP(2021)23Unclassified OECD Working Papers should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries. The opinions expressed and arguments employed are those of the author(s).Working Papers describe preliminary results or research in progress by the author(s) and are published to stimulate discussion on a broad range of issues on which the OECD works.

A shot for the US economy

“…Gros and Gros (2021) , for instance, look at the relationship between vaccination progress and infection numbers in light of new virus mutations, but do not link the results to economic indicators. Turner et al (2021) go one step further by comparing the effects of vaccinations to the impact of various containment measures, concluding that quick vaccination would limit the economic costs related to the pandemic. With respect to financial markets, Yu et al (2021) find that the correlation between pandemic-related anxiety and stock markets becomes weaker after the announcement of the development of COVID-19 vaccines.…”