COVID-19 can infect anyone - rich or poor, man or woman, young or old, regardless of skin color, country, religious belief or political opinion. Some are infected more seriously than others.
In the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, the poor and the vulnerable suffer from larger social and economic impacts. Lockdowns and other restrictions on movement prevent them from earning their livelihood. Limited medical facilities and services become scarce either due to need to accommodate COVID-19 patients or as safety measure to avoid COVID-19 infections. The poor, especially those with disabilities and serious illnesses, are particularly affected by this situation.
Migrant workers lose jobs and get stranded in their places of work, unable to return home due to closed borders, including those of their own countries. Women and girls suffer more domestic violence and other forms of abuse while forced to stay home during lockdowns or any other restrictions of movement.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities and hardships. The pre-pandemic misery of the poor and the vulnerable became more acute. The pandemic also led to the rise of new vulnerable groups.
How to address the exacerbated misery of the poor and the vulnerable in the midst of the pandemic is an urgent matter that has to be dealt with.