Is Covid-19 virus particularly inimical to poor?

By M K George

Rome: Corona-19 virus is singularly anti-poor.

Look at the ways to combat the virus: Regularly wash hands with soap and water , use sanitizer, keep social distancing, stay at home, use a mask, eat nutritious food, and get vaccinated.

None of these is accessible to the poor, who are 36 percent of the world’s population. According to available statistics, around 1.89 billion people live in extreme poverty. Nearly half the population in developing countries live on less than $1.25 a day. (As of Oct 16, 2020).

When you do not have water to drink, how do you find water to wash your hands? ‘An estimated 2.2 billion people need access to safely managed drinking water, including 884 million currently without basic drinking water services. In India, “Hundreds of thousands of people wait in line every day to fill buckets from government water trucks. Hospitals and schools struggle with clean water supplies. People are forced to wash utensils and clothes in dirty water. About 600 million Indians face acute water shortages, according to government think tank NITI Aayog. (Associated Press March 18, 2020).

When you have no work, no cash in your hands, how do you buy nutritious food, how do you buy masks, sanitizers and stay at home? One in two people have lower earnings due to the pandemic and people in lower income countries were affected the most, according to a global poll. Women were hit particularly hard as they are over-represented in low-paid precarious sectors such as retail, tourism and food services.” (World Economic Forum, 6 May 2021).

And stay at home, with social distancing? Habitat for Humanity estimated that 1.6 billion people around the world live in “inadequate shelter.” That is, more than 20 percent of the world’s population (Jan 21, 2020). Take the case of Indian slums. “At an all India level, census data shows 50 percent of slum households in India accommodate themselves within one single room. (That would be a minimum of five members, if not more). The number is higher for slums in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra where close to two-thirds of slum households are roofed under a one-room facility.” (The Mint, 9 April 2020).

Vaccination is yet another sad story. “Vaccinations have been highly concentrated in wealthy nations. Worldwide, 82 percent of shots have been given in high and upper middle class income countries…only 0.2 per cent of doses have been administered in low-income countries” ( NYT 28.04.2021)

India has fully vaccinated only 1.8 percent of its 1.38 billion people until April this year, while the US has already vaccinated near 30 percent of its population. And forget about any immediate dramatic increase in vaccination or development of health infrastructure in India because while U S uses 18 percent of its GDP for health, India uses a paltry 1.2 percent of its GDP.

“In normal times, the healthcare infrastructure was always outstretched. We have only 1/6 of the required hospital beds, two third. doctors and three fourth nurses. Our budget for human health care should be 7-8 percent of national GDP” (Jacob John , Ind. Exp. 6 May 2021). And remember, this is when wasteful and vainglory projects consume huge amounts of money in Government expenditure in India.

The rich are getting richer

“Pandemic stimulus has made the world’s wealthiest wealthier… Although India is relatively poor, billionaire wealth had soared to the equivalent of more than 17 per cent of gross domestic product, one of the highest shares in the world, with most of the gains accruing to a narrow set of families in industries prone to crony capitalism.” (Ruchir Sharma , 14 May 2021).

As per available data, above 90 per cent of Indian labor is in the unorganized sector. If there has been an accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few, it is common sense to know that it would be at the cost of those unorganized sectors. Some have to become poorer for others to become richer. “Covid-19 Pushes India’s Middle Class toward Poverty: The pandemic sent 32 million people in India from the middle class last year. Now a second wave is threatening the dreams of millions more looking for a better life.” (Singh and Kumar May 16, 2021 in NYT).

The Answer is in Charity and Justice

Yes, indeed the Covid-19 virus is clearly devastating the lives of the poor and middle class. The answer to this humanitarian crisis is in doing charity in the short run and work for Justice in the long run. It is so heartening to hear of ordinary citizens in India organizing food, medicines and support for the needy. Be it the langars of the Sikh community for the Covid-19 patients or the charities of Christian, Hindu and other religious groups, and other Non-Governmental Organizations, which despite the severe controls on them by the Government help the poor. There is hope. And of course, never to forget the frontline health workers, the workers at the crematories and the odd individuals who step in when those responsible aren’t around.

Pope Francis has been one of the consistent voices calling for this kind of response. He said recently , calling for universal vaccination, “The coronavirus has provoked much death and suffering, affecting the lives of many, especially the most vulnerable. I beg you not to forget the most vulnerable. In the midst of so much darkness and uncertainty, we lack light and hope. [We need] a spirit of justice that mobilizes us to ensure true universal access to the vaccine, and a temporary suspension of intellectual property rights.”

Let me reach out to one poor individual near me. I am the answer now!

(Jesuit Father M K George Jesuits’ regional assistant for South Asia.)