The coronavirus pandemic shattered lives, overwhelmed healthcare systems and threw the world into disarray. It shined a light on vast health inequities, sparked vitriolic politics and forced us to rethink our everyday lives. It also revealed how much work remains to be done to get lifesaving tests, treatments and vaccines from the lab to people who need them.
Across the globe, millions of children missed school for the duration of the pandemic, and some may never go back, raising their risk for adolescent pregnancy, child marriage and violence. Workers lost hours and jobs, too. And, while governments proclaim “we’re all in this together” it’s clear that the measures intended to suppress viral spread are themselves exacerbating underlying social inequities.
Covid-19 has been devastating to low and middle-income countries, where people are more likely to be living below the poverty line. The impact on communities of color, young people and women has been particularly pronounced. This year policymakers made permanent a program that got extra summer food assistance to children not attending school, and they increased investment in eviction prevention programs, building on a temporary relief measure adopted early in the pandemic.
Nearly half of Americans say they think President Donald Trump, Joe Biden and their local elected officials did an excellent or good job responding to the pandemic. Almost as many say their local hospitals did an excellent or good job. But the public still wants to see greater transparency about how their government is responding to the pandemic, with a significant majority saying they would be more likely to trust an independent watchdog over an executive branch agency.