Altitude as a protective factor from COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic had a delayed onset in South America compared to Asia (outside of China), Europe or North America. In spite of the presumed time advantage for the implementation of preventive measures to help contain its spread, the pandemic in that region followed growth rates that paralleled, and currently exceed, those observed several weeks before in Europe. Indeed, in early August, 2020, many countries in South and Central America presented among the highest rates in the world of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths per million inhabitants. Here, we have taken an ecological approach to describe the current state of the pandemic in Peru and its dynamics. Our analysis supports a protective effect of altitude from COVID-19 incidence and mortality. Further, we provide circumstantial evidence that internal migration through a specific land route is a significant factor progressively overriding the protection from COVID-19 afforded by high altitude. Finally, we show that protection by altitude is independent of poverty indexes and is inversely correlated with the prevalence in the population of risk factors associated with severe COVID-19, including hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. We discuss long-term multisystemic adaptations to hypobaric hypoxia as possible mechanisms that may explain the observed protective effect of high altitude from death from COVID-19.

Analysis of the Impact of Zakat, Infak, and Sadaqah Distribution on Poverty Alleviation Based on the CIBEST Model (Case Study: Jogokariyan Baitul Maal Mosque, Yogyakarta)

The Special Region of Yogyakarta is one of the provinces with a high incidenceof poverty onJava Island. The number of mosques and the increase of zakat funds, infak, and sadaqaheach year is not sufficientto reduce the number of those in poverty. If the mosque is able tomanage the zakat, infak, and sadaqahfunds well, it can be predicted that the mosque would reduce poverty and increase the welfare of the community. This study aims to analyze the impact of zakat, infak, and sadaqah distribution in reducing poverty based on the Center for Islamic Business and Economic Studies (CIBEST) model (case study: Jogokariyan Baitul Maal Mosque, Yogyakarta). The results of the study indicate that there is an increase in welfare and a decrease in material poverty, spiritual poverty, and absolute poverty, as seen from changes in the Islamic CIBEST’s poverty indexes formustahik households. Keywords: CIBEST Model, Jogokariyan Mosque, Poverty, ZIS

AN ASPECT OF VARIABLE POPULATION POVERTY COMPARISONS: DOES ADDING A RICH PERSON TO A POPULATION REDUCE POVERTY?

Poverty indexes are essential for monitoring poverty, setting targets for poverty reduction, and tracking progress on these goals. This paper suggests that further justification is necessary for using the main poverty indexes in the literature in any of these ways. It does so by arguing that poverty should not decline with the mere addition of a rich person to a population and showing that the standard indexes do not satisfy this axiom. It, then, suggests a way of modifying these indexes to avoid this problem.