Main description:

Internationally, marginalized populations, including indigenous people, refugees fleeing both war and the effects of climate change and people-of-color, have borne a disproportionate share of serious COVID 19 illnesses and deaths. Each contributor has a background in public health, applied psychology, and international issues, bringing a unique perspective and a valuable lens through which to view these issues. Additionally, the authors are members of the COVID-19 Ethics and Legal Issues Task Force within Division 52 (International Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. The task force has spent the last two years describing how COVID-19 has highlighted pre-existing health disparities within the U.S. and internationally. The topics investigated include strategies to manage the pandemic employed by governments in various countries as well as models of medical ethics guiding healthcare decision-making.

Contents:

Chapter 1: An Overview of the International Impact of COVID -19a. Brief history of the emergence of COVID-19 and the controversy regarding its origins

b. Timing and response to the virus internationally-case examples

c. Health Care systems around the world: An overview of their structure, operations and funding

d. Response to the pandemic in individualist vs. collectivist societies

Chapter 2: COVID-19 Highlights preexisting health disparities

a. An historical overview of health disparities

b. Who are the disenfranchised ? An international view

c. Pre-existing conditions in marginalized groups and communities of color

d. Access to health care among marginalized groups and communities of color

e. Developing countries: health status and health care

Chapter 3: The Pandemic's Impact

a. Countries with high and low numbers of cases

b. Within countries, regional variations in cases and their correlates

c. Late 2019-2021: COVID's progression

d. Disparities-People of color and marginalized populations bear disproportionate share of the cases, severe illness and deaths

e. Selected groups and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19: Indigenous people, Incarcerated populations, migrant populations

Chapter 4: COVID-19's Indirect Impact on the World's Population

a. Mental health-International perspectives

b. Education and educational outcomes-the impact of school closures and the shift to online education-international data

c. Income and income support-international perspectives

d. Impact on Employment

e. Impact of productivity-international perspectives

f. Indirect impact on non-COVID related health issues

g. Impact on quality of life-international perspectives

h. Impact on Government and Political dynamics

Chapter 5: The Ethical Challenges of COVID-19

a. Overview of models of ethical reasoning in health care

b. Is the health care profession responsible to individual patients or to their community ?

c. Public health: Police powers and Utilitarian ethics

d. Challenges to social solidarity around the world

e. What is the impact of public health policies

f. Limited health care resources-who receives treatment

g. Rationing care-Who is at the front of the line ?

h. What are the implications of being an "essential worker ?"

Chapter 6: COVID-19: Testing

a. Testing for COVID-19-A brief history

b. How were test results used ?

c. Controversies over testing-international perspectives

d. What was the result of mass testing ?

e. "Fake news" and Social media

f. Ethical Issues arising from testing

Chapter 7: Preventing COVID-19 through Vaccination

a. The Issue of herd immunity

b. Development of the Vaccine-a brief overview

c. International Cooperation or Competition in vaccine development and dissemination

d. Communities of color, indigenous peoples' reasons for distrusting the health care system

e. The "anti-vaccers"-a brief history of vaccine hesitancy

f. Can vaccine hesitancy be overcome ?

g. The Ethics of vaccine availability

h. The Effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine

Chapter 8: What about next time ? What have we learned ?

a. Health disparities are still here and the gap is growing

b. Internationally, many countries have overwhelmed and under-supported health care systems

c. Examples of countries with health care and public health infrastructure that managed the pandemic relatively well-how did they do it ?

d. Ethical distribution of medical resources-should we develop national or international protocols ?

e. Ethically, how do we protect individuals while maintaining the health of our communities ?

f. Unanticipated effects of COVID-19-The world is truly a dynamic system

Chapter 9: Potential Solutions

a. Education of health professionals: Time to get out of the silos and understand other professional disciplines

b. Health education should include public policy, environmental health, economics, behavioral science and beyond

c. Health professionals trained for advocacy

d. Is it time for universal health care ?

e. Economic disparity-time for a guaranteed income ?