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Regional Health Disparities, Surge Capacity, and Impacts on COVID‐19: Critical Insights and Lessons from China
Author(s) -
Schintler Laurie A.,
Wu Jiayi,
McNeely Connie L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
world medical and health policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.326
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 1948-4682
DOI - 10.1002/wmh3.381
Subject(s) - surge capacity , pandemic , china , covid-19 , inequality , health equity , economic growth , health care , development economics , surge , resource (disambiguation) , political science , medicine , geography , disease , economics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , mathematical analysis , mathematics , pathology , meteorology , law , computer network , computer science
In the face of the unexpected tidal wave of infections brought by the COVID‐19 pandemic, many hospitals and medical care facilities around the world were woefully unprepared, particularly in terms of having adequate surge capacity. Going into a situation like a pandemic, regional inequalities in health‐care resources and surge capacity, as well as disease incidence can compound these challenges and even further perpetuate already existing gaps and disparities. In this regard, China provides a compelling case in point. In this brief article, we draw upon the example of China, highlighting how regional health disparities in the country impacted the outcomes and dynamics of the pandemic in its early stages, including the possible reinforcement of existing health inequities. We conclude with some lessons learned from China, which can be used to inform other places facing similar resource constraints and disparities, especially in the management of a global epidemic like COVID‐19.