scholarly journals Social distancing in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis using the Stringency Index and Google Community Mobility Reports

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongshan Zhu ◽  
Shiva Raj Mishra ◽  
Xikun Han ◽  
Karla Santo
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Community Mobility

Research Insights: Can Better Infrastructure Offset the Negative Impacts That COVID-19 Has Had on Productivity in Different Economic Sectors?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildegart Ahumada ◽  
Eduardo A. Cavallo ◽  
Santos Espina-Mairal ◽  
Fernando Navajas
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Labor Productivity ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Productivity Losses ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Indirect Impacts

The effects of COVID-19 have been stronger in service-related subsectors, where supply and/or demand were constrained by lockdowns and social distancing measures. The losses in these subsectors have had direct impacts-through their weight in countries GDP-and indirect impacts through their effect on other sectors. In Latin America, effects on the three most affected sectors-wholesale, retail, and hospitality services; construction; and manufacturing-add up to a 4.9 percent hit to economy-wide labor productivity through direct and indirect channels. Large productivity improvements in infrastructure may be needed to fully compensate for the negative productivity losses traceable to COVID-19.

scholarly journals Social distancing in risk society: a cross-national analysis of policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A H M Belayeth Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Risk Society ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
Community Mobility ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
Health Situation

Abstract Countries that implement strict policy measures to combat coronavirus contagion increase their probability of achieving successful social distancing practice when compared to the countries without such strict policies. I used Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) to perform regression models and show differences in social distancing efforts. I utilized 3,997 observations for 132 countries, drawn from the Oxford CGRT Stringency Index and Google Community Mobility data. The results show that people’s community mobility to various locations has flattened significantly as policy measures become stricter. I considered the current underlying health situation to be symptomatic of a risk society and argued that policy interventions’ effectiveness in response to COVID-19 depends on political leaders, public health authorities, and institutions’ credibility. Political rhetoric, politically motivated scientific solutions, and political downplaying of the underlying health implications weaken the responsible organizations and institutions, particularly when political leaders undermine inclusive stringent policies and their implementation.

Research Insights: How Much Has Human Mobility Been Reduced by Social Distancing Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Aromi ◽  
María Paula Bonel ◽  
Julian P. Cristia ◽  
Martín Llada ◽  
Juan I. Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Public Events ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Reduced Mobility ◽  
Over Time

The lockdowns implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean in March 2020 reduced the share of people who travel more than 1 km (about 0.6 miles) per day by 10 percentage points during the 15 days following its implementation. The effects of the lockdowns declined over time: the effect amounted to 12 percentage points during the first week and to 9 percentage points during the second week of the implementation of the lockdowns. In contrast, school closures reduced mobility by only 5 percentage points, and no effects were found for bar and restaurant closures or the cancellation of public events. The results suggest that lockdowns are a tool that can produce reductions in mobility quickly. This is important given the expectation that reduced mobility slows the spread of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Evaluating Social Distancing Measures and Their Association with the Covid-19 Pandemic in South America

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Gisliany Lillian Alves de Oliveira ◽  
Luciana Lima ◽  
Ivanovitch Silva ◽  
Marcel da Câmara Ribeiro-Dantas ◽  
Kayo Henrique Monteiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Population Mobility ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Mobility Index ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Community Mobility ◽  
Data Driven Approach ◽  
Local Moran ◽  
Global And Local

Social distancing is a powerful non-pharmaceutical intervention used as a way to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus around the world since the end of 2019 in China. Taking that into account, this work aimed to identify variations on population mobility in South America during the pandemic (15 February to 27 October 2020). We used a data-driven approach to create a community mobility index from the Google Covid-19 Community Mobility and relate it to the Covid stringency index from Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT). Two hypotheses were established: countries which have adopted stricter social distancing measures have also a lower level of circulation (H1), and mobility is occurring randomly in space (H2). Considering a transient period, a low capacity of governments to respond to the pandemic with more stringent measures of social distancing was observed at the beginning of the crisis. In turn, considering a steady-state period, the results showed an inverse relationship between the Covid stringency index and the community mobility index for at least three countries (H1 rejected). Regarding the spatial analysis, global and local Moran indices revealed regional mobility patterns for Argentina, Brazil, and Chile (H1 rejected). In Brazil, the absence of coordinated policies between the federal government and states regarding social distancing may have played an important role for several and extensive clusters formation. On the other hand, the results for Argentina and Chile could be signals for the difficulties of governments in keeping their population under control, and for long periods, even under stricter decrees.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Venezuelan Refugees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Escobar Olivo
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The World

As populations around the world adjust to a new reality shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, across Latin America an estimated 113 million people living in low-income neighbourhoods are struggling to make ends meet with the ongoing lockdown and social isolation procedures (Phillips et al., 2020). In addition to the looming threat of infection, more impoverished populations must contend with the day-to-day struggle of trying to stay afloat financially and the actual feasibility of practising social distancing. Among the most vulnerable populations are refugees and migrants, who are exposed to even more significant hardships as governments attempt to navigate the pandemic (UNHCR, 2020). The already precarious financial situations and housing of most refugees have worsened as host countries make efforts to provide supports and programs for their populations – initiatives which do not necessarily take into account the situations of most refugees. For Venezuelan refugees in particular, the threat to their safety, security, and futures has been further compounded in the course of the pandemic.

Graduate Medical Education in Pathology/Cytopathology Training Programs During Times of Social Distancing: Experience of Latin-America and Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. S12-S13
Author(s):  
Deepika Savant ◽  
Carolina Polanco Jacome ◽  
Maria D. Lozano ◽  
Milagros Abad-Licham ◽  
Bruno De Carvallo Dornelas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Graduate Medical Education ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Graduate Medical

scholarly journals 475. Describing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV care in Latin America

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S303-S304
Author(s):  
Anna K Person ◽  
Fernanda Maruri ◽  
Ellen Brazier ◽  
Juan G Sierra Madero ◽  
Vanessa Rouzier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Substantial Effect ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Viral Load ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with HIV (PWH) are unknown. Beyond SARS-CoV-2 co-infection, the pandemic may have devastating consequences for HIV care delivery. Understanding these is crucial as reduced antiretroviral therapy (ART) availability alone could lead to ≥500,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2020–2021. With Latin America now a focal point in the pandemic, we sought to describe the impact of COVID-19 on HIV care at Latin American clinical sites. Methods Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology (CCASAnet) and additional Brazilian HIV care sites in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru were included. An electronic survey of COVID-19 effects on HIV clinic operations was administered in Spanish or English via phone and email, April 28-June 2, 2020. We also compared national COVID-19 case, mortality, and policy data from public sources. Results Brazil’s and Mexico’s epidemics appear most pronounced, with >10,000 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths (Figure 1); countries implemented “social distancing” policies at different times after initial cases, with Haiti earliest and Mexico latest (Figure 2). Nearly all 13 sites reported decreased hours and providers for HIV care. Twelve of 13 reported increased use of telehealth, suspension/postponements of routine HIV appointments, and/or suspension of HIV research. Eleven of 13 reported initiation of new COVID-19 research but suspension of community HIV testing, and nearly half provided additional ART supplies. Nearly 70% reported impacts on HIV viral load testing and nearly 40% reported personal protective equipment stock-outs (Table). All 13 sites experienced changes in resources/services in tandem with national policies; there was wide variation, however, in the number of economic and health supports implemented thus far (e.g., quarantines, tax deferrals, interest rate reductions, etc.), from 172 COVID-19-related policies in Brazil to only 30 in Mexico. Table Site Assessment of Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV services in Latin America at CCASAnet and Coorte Sites, N=13 Figure 1. Cumulative mortality due to COVID-19 in countries within which CCASAnet and Coorte sites are located Figure 1 footnote: Source for mortality counts: the WHO COVID-19 Dashboard, available at: https://covid19.who.int/ All data were up-to-date as of, and were accessed on, June 17th, 2020 Figure 2. Cumulative cases of COVID-19 in countries within which CCASAnet and Coorte sites are located and dates (relative to the day on which the first positive case of COVID-19 was detected) of general social distancing, public health emergency, or mass quarantine policy introduction (vertical dashed lines), 2020 Figure 2 footnote: Source for case counts: the WHO COVID-19 Dashboard, available at: https://covid19.who.int/ Source for health policy implementation: the United Nations Economic Council for Latin America & the Caribbean, available at: https://cepalstat-prod.cepal.org/forms/covid-countrysheet/index.html All data were up-to-date as of, and were accessed on, June 17th, 2020 Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has already had a substantial effect on daily operations of HIV clinics in Latin America. The downstream effects of these impacts on HIV outcomes in Latin America will need to be further studied. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals COVID-washing of ultra-processed products: the content of digital marketing on Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Lucía Antúnez ◽  
Florencia Alcaire ◽  
Gerónimo Brunet ◽  
Isabel Bove ◽  
Gastón Ares
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Master List ◽  
Processed Products ◽  
At Home

Abstract Objective: To explore the use of references to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the marketing strategies used on Facebook to promote ultra-processed products. Design: A search for Facebook accounts of ultra-processed products was performed using a master list of products commercialised in two online supermarkets in Uruguay. For each of the identified Facebook accounts, all the content posted from the confirmation of the first cases of COVID-19 in Uruguay, on 14 March 2020, until 1 July 2020 was recorded. Posts including mentions to COVID-19, social distancing measures or their consequences were identified and analysed using content analysis. Setting: Uruguay, Latin America. Results: A total of 135 Facebook accounts were identified, which generated a total of 1749 posts related to ultra-processed products, from which 35 % included references to COVID-19. The majority of the posts included references to prevention measures. Approximately one-third of the posts included proposals of activities to do at home, most of which were linked to a healthy lifestyle. Tips for coping with quarantine and descriptions of the charitable work undertaken by brands were also identified. Conclusions: Results from the present work provide evidence that industries of ultra-processed products have taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to promote their products, create positive associations with the brands and improve their image as part of their digital marketing strategies.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Venezuelan Refugees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Escobar Olivo
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The World

As populations around the world adjust to a new reality shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, across Latin America an estimated 113 million people living in low-income neighbourhoods are struggling to make ends meet with the ongoing lockdown and social isolation procedures (Phillips et al., 2020). In addition to the looming threat of infection, more impoverished populations must contend with the day-to-day struggle of trying to stay afloat financially and the actual feasibility of practising social distancing. Among the most vulnerable populations are refugees and migrants, who are exposed to even more significant hardships as governments attempt to navigate the pandemic (UNHCR, 2020). The already precarious financial situations and housing of most refugees have worsened as host countries make efforts to provide supports and programs for their populations – initiatives which do not necessarily take into account the situations of most refugees. For Venezuelan refugees in particular, the threat to their safety, security, and futures has been further compounded in the course of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Covid-19 in Latin America countries: Course of the pandemic and the different responses towards control

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Moreira Pescarini ◽  
Ismael H Silveira ◽  
Jaime A Souza-Filho ◽  
Rosana Aquino ◽  
Mauricio L Barreto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
First Case ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
The Social

Abstract Background: The emergence of COVID-19 in Latin America occurred within a troubled political, economic and social context, with growing trends of poverty and social inequality challenging already overburdened and underfinanced local healthcare systems. In the absence of a vaccine or of any treatment for COVID-19, public health measures such as social distancing had to be adopted. The objective of this paper is to describe the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin American countries and to summarize the social distancing measures implemented in each one of these countries, discussing the changes that took place in the social mobility of the populations and their potential effects on the course of the epidemic up to June 2020. Results: Brazil has the highest cumulative number of cases and deaths; however, cumulative incidence rates are higher in Peru and Chile, while the highest cumulative mortality rates are in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Some countries implemented social distancing measures before the first case was registered, culminating in lockdown in eight countries before detection of the 100th case. The measures that appear to have had the greatest impact in reducing mobility include, in addition to lockdown, the closure of schools and prohibition of events. In general, the countries that implemented social distancing measures earlier and where the reduction in social mobility was greatest also recorded lower incidence and mortality rates. Brazil and Mexico failed to adopt lockdown and the number of cases of the disease continues to grow. Conclusions: As occurred in other continents, control of the COVID-19 pandemic was better in countries that were faster in adopting more restrictive measures. Nevertheless, this equation does not appear to guarantee a positive outcome in all settings, possibly due to the considerable social inequalities and chronic deficiencies of the healthcare systems, with the scenario being even more complex in view of the recurring political crises and the negationist view of some national leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in Latin America and exposes these contradictions. Further studies are required to gain a greater understanding and generate lessons on how to manage such a complex crisis.

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