International journal for equity in health
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Int J Equity Health · Nov 2020
LetterRecommendation for response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Korean context of "distancing in daily life," considering vulnerable population.
While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an ongoing worldwide, including South Korea (hereinafter Korea), it is impossible to predict the duration of the pandemic. To stop the spread of COVID-19, "social distancing," which included mandatory lockdown, and attention to personal hygiene are being adopted globally as non-pharmaceutical preventive strategies. In Korea, after maintaining strong social distancing rules for a while, the government transitioned to implementing "distancing in daily life" since May 6, 2020. ⋯ However, for vulnerable populations, it is very difficult to follow such rules. Thus, we attempted to recommend how the society could support such vulnerable populations who may face difficulties in following these individual infection control rules. Through our recommendations for the weakest part of our society, we expect to strengthen the overall social structure.
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Int J Equity Health · Oct 2020
One country, two crises: what Covid-19 reveals about health inequalities among BAME communities in the United Kingdom and the sustainability of its health system?
There has been mounting evidence of the disproportionate involvement of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the UK, this racial disparity was brought to the fore by the fact that the first 11 doctors to die in the UK from Covid-19 were of BAME background. The mortality rate from Covid-19 among people of black African descent in English hospitals has been shown to be 3.5 times higher when compared to rates among white British people. ⋯ Potential reasons for the observed differences include the overrepresentation of BAME persons in frontline roles, unequal distribution of socio-economic resources, disproportionate risks to BAME staff within the NHS workspace and high ethnic predisposition to certain diseases which have been linked to poorer outcomes with Covid-19. The ethnoracialised differences in health outcomes from Covid-19 in the UK require urgent remedial measures. We provide intersectional approaches to tackle the complex racial disparities which though not entirely new in itself, have been often systematically ignored.
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Int J Equity Health · Oct 2020
LetterAddressing the caste system in U.S. healthcare in the era of COVID-19.
In healthcare, we find an industry that typifies the unique blend of racism, classism, and other forms of structural discrimination that comprise the U. S. caste system-the artificially-constructed and legally-reinforced social hierarchy for assigning worth and determining opportunity for individuals based on race, class, and other factors. Despite myths of meritocracy, healthcare is actually a casteocracy; and conversations about racism in healthcare largely occupy an echo chamber among the privileged upper caste of hospital professionals. To address racism in healthcare, we must consider the history that brought us here and understand how we effectively perpetuate an employee caste system within our own walls.
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Int J Equity Health · Aug 2020
LetterUnspoken inequality: how COVID-19 has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities of asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in South Africa.
An estimated 2 million foreign-born migrants of working age (15-64) were living in South Africa (SA) in 2017. Structural and practical xenophobia has driven asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in SA to abject poverty and misery. ⋯ Leaving this category of our society out of the national response safety nets may lead to negative coping strategies causing mental health issues and secondary health concerns. An effective response to the socioeconomic challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic should consider the economic and health impact of the pandemic on asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants.
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Int J Equity Health · Aug 2020
Disability inclusiveness of government responses to COVID-19 in South America: a framework analysis study.
Disabled people are particularly exposed to the risks of COVID-19, as well as to the measures taken to address it, and their impact. The aim of the study was to examine the disability-inclusiveness of government responses to COVID-19 in four South American Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. ⋯ This study illustrates how the official government responses taken by four countries in the region - while positive, in several aspects - do not fully address the needs of disabled people, thus further disadvantaging them. In order to ensure response to COVID - 19 is disability inclusive, it is necessary to translate recommendations to practice, consider disabled people both in mainstream policy and in disability-specific measures, and focus on the long-term reconstruction phase.