COVID-19 in SOUTH ASIA: HEALTH, ECONOMICS and POLITICS

ABSTRACT

This paper tracks the progression of, and the government’s response to, the COVID-19 pandemic in four South Asian countries —Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka— between February 2020 and May 2021. We look at the daily reported COVID-19 cases and deaths per million population. The data shows clear patterns of two or more waves of the pandemic in South Asia. We consider COVID-19 testing, vaccination coverage, non-pharmaceutical interventions and the COVID-19 economic stimulus. Sri Lanka performs the best, Bangladesh has low reported cases and deaths, but that is perhaps because of low testing;Pakistan has the lowest vaccination coverage;India has been hit worst by the second wave and is doing mediocre in terms of testing and vaccination. In terms of the impact of the pandemic on lives lost, Sri Lanka is the best and India the worst performer. 2022 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Economía.