ABSTRACT
Due to digital inequality, poor living, and health care conditions, marginalized people are the most vulnerable group to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined how digital information influences knowledge, practices, threat appraisals, and motivation behaviors of urban marginalized communities. It examined slum people's digital competencies, their access to COVID-19 online information, and their trust in COVID-19 information provided by both online and offline media. A total of 453 slum people in Bangkok city, Thailand were surveyed, and multiple regression was performed to examine whether socio-demographic factors influence the access to online communication of slum people. We hypothesized that access to online information might affect marginalized people's awareness of COVID-19 and resulted in greater levels of their practices and protective behaviors. The finding showed that slum people who had access to online information tended to have a better awareness of self-protection against COVID-19, while elderly, female, and foreign migrant workers faced a number of constraints in accessing COVID-19 online information. Such results are important considering the pandemic is compelling societies to turn toward digital technologies to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and address pandemic-related issues. We also discuss how to enhance the role of digital communication in helping urban marginalized communities during and after the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
In recent years, the unprecedented death tolls resulting from epidemics and natural disasters made everyone interested, from the general public to country heads, to know about the mortality rates. The coronavirus issue is the most recent example all over the media, and everyone is talking about corona-induced mortality. The study aimed to estimate the disaster-induced mortality rates at the global level for two hundred and ten countries for fifteen years (2001-2015). Using a retrospective study design, we extracted datasets from two data sources, EM-DAT and UNFPA, in October 2019. The cut-off time for the data download was midnight Central European Time, October 17, 2019. The most noticeable finding in this study is that, against the common prevailing notion, both developed and developing countries equally carry the brunt of disaster-induced mortality. This study proposes empirical confirmation of the direction and magnitude of any year-over-year correlation of disaster and mortality rates. Furthermore, the analysis of the trend in mortality rate over the past fifteen years concludes it is not linear. However, there are huge variations across the years and the countries. The study is of paramount importance to initiate a debate amongst the concerned policymakers and stakeholders to regularly monitor the disaster-induced mortality rates. So that effective interventions can be devised to decrease the mortality rates.
ABSTRACT
The severe tropical Cyclone Yaas hit on 26 May 2021 in 16 coastal districts of Bangladesh and affected 1.30 million people. Moreover, the study areas are highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased the vulnerability of the people. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the impact of cyclone Yass aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the southwest coastal zone of Bangladesh. COVID-19-aggregated Cyclone Yaas impact data at the household level were collected from Kalapara Upozilla of Potuakhali district, the area most affected by Cyclone Yaas. A total of 196 households were surveyed, and a quantitative approach was applied to analyse the data. The results show that households in the study area were severely affected by Cyclone Yaas in terms of income, housing, food consumption patterns, and water sanitation and hygiene. The outcome also revealed that the affected households received relief from the government, international/non-government organizations, donor agencies, as well as adopted coping strategies such as obtaining credit, selling assets, reducing daily meal intake, and tapping into savings. These strategies may be useful for a temporary recovery but not for the long term. The results of the study will help policymakers to reform policies.