effects of covid-19 pandemic

Confronted with the prospect of continued waves of COVID-19 infections, at least until an effective vaccine is readily available, countries around the world are constantly optimizing their policy response to the pandemic. Initially undertaking full-fledged national lockdowns, governments are increasingly seeking more selective and localized public health interventions. Notable amongst these countries are Australia (Melbourne), Spain (Cataluña), and China (Beijing) with their recent focus on highly targeted interventions. Can such an approach be effective in controlling the pandemic? Can it help minimize the economic costs for businesses and people? For policymakers, answering these questions in near-real time is difficult due to the delay in gathering economic, social, and financial information through conventional means. Large technology companies have made available human mobility data that makes it possible to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 interventions in near real-time worldwide. In this blog, we will illustrate the use of this data to measure impact here in Vietnam, which was recently hit by a second wave of COVID-19 infections. On July 24, after 99 days of zero community-transmitted COVID-19 infections, a 57 year-old man tested positive in Danang, a major city in central Vietnam with close to 1. 5 million inhabitants. Within three weeks, almost 600 people were infected, over 25 deaths recorded. Most of these cases remained concentrated in and around Danang. Authorities were quick to respond to the outbreak: the city was swiftly shut down with an estimated 80, 000 tourists evacuated, most hotels and businesses closed, and nearly all domestic and international flights cancelled. Importantly, this approach differed from the policy in April, when a state of emergency was adopted nationwide for three weeks. This time in Danang, Vietnamese authorities opted to implement a strict but localized lockdown instead.