The Effectiveness of Life-Preserving Investments in Times of COVID-19

Jules van Binsbergen and Christian Opp

No 27382, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We analyze the effectiveness of preventive investments aimed at increasing agents' life expectancy, with a focus on influenza and COVID-19 mitigation. Maximizing overall life expectancy requires allocating resources across hazards so as to equalize investments' marginal effectiveness. Based on estimates for the marginal effectiveness of influenza vaccines, we determine the level of COVID-19 mitigation investments that would imply such equalization. Given current projections for COVID-19 mitigation costs, our results suggest that wide-spread influenza vaccination would be an effective life-preserving investment.

JEL-codes: G31 H51 I1 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-ore
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