Situation of India in the COVID-19 Pandemic: India’s Initial Pandemic Experience

Azizah F. Siddiqui, Manuel Wiederkehr, Liudmila Rozanova and Antoine Flahault
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Azizah F. Siddiqui: Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Manuel Wiederkehr: Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Liudmila Rozanova: Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Antoine Flahault: Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: In this article, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 through screening and surveillance methods adopted in India, as well as the potential health system, social, political, and economic consequences. The research was done in a chronological manner, and data was collected between 30 January 2020 till 12 June 2020. Initial containment measures, including point of entry screenings and testing protocols, appeared insufficient. However, testing capacity was gradually expanded after the commencement of a nation-wide lockdown. Modeling predictions have shown varying results on the emergence of cases depending on the infectiousness of asymptomatic individuals, with a peak predicted in mid-July having over two million cases. The country also faces risks of the economic plunge by losing approximately 4% of its gross domestic product, due to containment measures and reduction in goods importation. The low public health expenditure combined with a lack of infrastructure and low fiscal response implies several challenges to scale up the COVID-19 response and management. Therefore, an emergency preparedness and response plan is essential to integrate into the health system of India.

Keywords: COVID-19; India; epidemiology; non-pharmaceutical interventions; social disruption; economic impact; health systems; global health; case study; coronavirus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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