The global pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, has impacted everyone worldwide. But how has it affected Least Developed Countries (LDCs)? Well, containing and treating the coronavirus is a difficult job, not just socially but economically. Living in America, where the government could do a somewhat adequate job to compensate for the lost income because of lockdowns, was critical in containing the coronavirus, but even the meager stimulus check took a toll on the shut down American economy. The decline in the employment-to-population ratio shown below exceeded predictions (a net reduction of 9.9%), indicating additional employment loss in the country was due to the pandemic.

United States Census Bureau

The decline in the employment-to-population ratio in the United States in April 2020 was significant as coupling the ongoing decrease in employment-to-population ratio along with the government spending of $2.4 trillion on relief bills, and stimulus checks pushed the American economy to the brink of collapse.

USA Today

Suppose the coronavirus could destroy a wealthy and developed nation like America’s economy so much. In that case, the extent of problems it creates for LDCs is far more significant than the problems it creates for America. We have heard of lockdowns and other forms of socially isolating plans such as quarantine being implemented in America and other nations, for starters. However, implementing such socially isolating measures is far too challenging to implement on LDCs. Moreover, because many vulnerable communities in LDCs do not have access to a social safety system, the economic lockdown required to preserve lives will exacerbate poverty, starvation, and desperation. For example, South Africa’s national GDP and other sources of income reduced drastically due to lockdowns.

International Food Policy Research Institute

Once all indirect effects of the lockdown are considered, the total flow of goods and services is reduced by about one-third, with indirect effects accounting for most of the reduction. These declines in earnings should be interpreted as being due to reductions in hours worked and in the rate of utilization of factories, machines, and other elements of installed capital. South Africa is just one LDC. Imagine how devastating it would be to the numerous other LDCs.

Lockdowns and economies aren’t the only things that negatively impact LDCs during such a large pandemic. Lack of proper hygiene and overcrowding serves as a way to speed the spreading of the coronavirus. Once again, taking South Africa as an example of difficulties to be overcome in developing countries. Most adults in South Africa still live in apartheid-era townships that are crowded. People also live in tiny makeshift houses, built out of boards and corrugated metal sheets, less than one meter apart, often with communal toilets and communal water taps, each used by 30 or 40 people a day. Around 57.6% of dwellings in South African neighborhoods were determined to be overcrowded. These factors make it very difficult for residents of the townships to comply with social distancing requirements.

The Economist

Furthermore, many township dwellers have essential jobs outside of the townships, particularly in the city’s hospitals and food supply, and often need to travel long distances every day on public transportation to get to work. This aggregate collection of overcrowded and lack of proper hygiene seen through the overcrowding in Johannesburg, South Africa, along with the fact that 57.6 percent of dwellings in South Africa are overcrowded, unearths the simple conclusion that these unacceptable living conditions in LDCs, not just South Africa, make it nearly impossible to effectively contain the spread of the virus, leading to an exponential increase in the number of people who got diagnosed with the virus as shown below.

BBC

In the end, no matter how we look at things, the coronavirus is a big deal. Living comfortably in our homes and having a government that prepared for the pandemic adequately is 1000% more than what people living in LDCs have. LDCs suffer the worst of both worlds. Using South Africa, an LDC, as an example, we can see that implementing a lockdown order in South Africa severely impacts their GDP and other sources of income. Not only does South Africa suffer from this, but all of the other LDCs suffer too. Though lockdowns severely cripple LDCs’ economies, it would be logical that they would provide a layer of protection to the number of people getting infected, right? Wrong. Once again, using South Africa as an example, we can see that the lack of proper sanitation and the overcrowding forced the spread of the coronavirus in an uncontrollable manner.

Sources

Initial Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Economy More Widespread Than on Mortality. The United States Census Bureau. (2021, March 10). https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/initial-impact-covid-19-on-united-states-economy-more-widespread-than-on-mortality.html.

Sergent, J., King, L., & Collins, M. (2020, May 8). 4 coronavirus stimulus packages. $2.4 trillion in funding. See what that means to the national debt. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/05/08/national-debt-how-much-could-coronavirus-cost-america/3051559001.

Arndt, C., Gabriel, S., & Robinson , S. (2020, May 6). Research Post Assessing the toll of COVID-19 lockdown measures on the South African economy. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/assessing-toll-covid-19-lockdown-measures-south-african-economy.

Levison, M. E. (2020, July 8). Commentary-COVID-19 Challenges in Developing Countries. Merck Manuals Consumer Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/news/editorial/2020/07/08/20/55/covid-19-challenges-in-the-developing-world.

Nkosi, Vusumuzi & Haman, Tanya & Naicker, Nisha & Mathee, Angela. (2019). Overcrowding and health in two impoverished suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa. BMC Public Health. 19. 1-8. 10.1186/s12889-019-7665-5.

Harding, A. (2020, August 7). Coronavirus in South Africa: Why the vuvuzelas fell silent. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53693470.