Infectious disease, human capital, and the BRICS economy in the time of COVID-19

• Published in: MethodsX 2021-01, Vol.8, p.101202-101202, Article 101202
• Main Authors: Dash, Devi Prasad, Sethi, Narayan, Dash, Aruna Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: BRICS; COVID-19; Infectious Disease; Method; O50; P36; Population; Poverty; R23
• ISSN: 2215-0161; 2215-0161
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2020.101202

•COVID-19 has led to an economic meltdown in emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.•Governments must give due stress to the health sector along with development irrespective of nature of the economy.•Our results show that strict government measures, areas of poor people and people with heart diseases have resulted in high COVID-19 testing due to the increasing infections.•Both from policy and pandemic perspectives, it is inferred that these BRICS economies need to divert more resources and infuse more investment in the healthcare sector. We develop empirical models using difference-in-difference method to find out how COVID-19 testing and infection rates impact the BRICS economy. Our results show that strict government measures, areas of poor people and people with heart diseases have resulted in high COVID-19 testing due to the increasing infections, However, economic development and population density are not found to be rather insignificant towards the COVID-19 testing rates. Hence, both from policy and pandemic perspectives, it is inferred that these developing economies need to divert more resources and infuse more investment in the healthcare sector in the coming days.•Governments must give due stress to the health sector along with development irrespective of nature of the economy.•Our results show that strict government measures, areas of poor people and people with heart diseases have resulted in high COVID-19 testing due to the increasing infections.•Both from policy and pandemic perspectives, it is inferred that these BRICS economies need to divert more resources and infuse more investment in the healthcare sector. [Display omitted]