Coronavirus vs. Pakistan: Early Successes in the Epidemiological Battle

corona vs Pakistan

Coronavirus vs. Pakistan: Early Successes in the Epidemiological Battle

Abstract

Why was Covid-19’s toll comparatively mild in Pakistan? This Working Paper seeks to tease out possible causal factors for Pakistan’s early success against Covid-19. Some elements are structural in nature, while others a function of policy approaches. It should be noted at this juncture as well that the aim of this paper is not to sound a celebratory bugle while the Pandemic persists around the world. Nor is it to suggest that Pakistanis should lower their guard. The Coronavirus Pandemic remains an ongoing concern. That said, it is worth exploring some factors that might help to collectively explain Pakistan’s success thus far against the Pandemic. The paper proceeds to highlight some factors worth considering, but they are presented in no particular order as their discrete contribution is still indeterminate. The factors include: a young population, a low obesity rate, a non-specific immunity, urban design, social conservatism, smart lockdown policies, proactive political attitude (low denialism), strong civil society response and curbing rural transmission.

Working Paper

Usman-Chohan-Coronavirus-v-Pakistan-HM-v1-Sep-2020-EDS-WEBDownload
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Tags: COVID, Economic Affairs & National Development
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Dr Usman W. Chohan

Dr. Usman W. Chohan is an international economist and academic who was one of the founding Directors of CASS, now serving as Advisor to President CASS on Economic Affairs & National Development. He is among the Top 100 Authors across all subjects & disciplines (out of 1.2 million authors) on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), which is the largest open repository of knowledge in the world. At CASS, he has authored six books in the past five years: (1) Public Value & Budgeting: International Perspectives, (2) Reimagining Public Managers: Delivering Public Value, (3) Public Value and the Digital Economy, (4) Pandemics and Public Value Management, (5) Activist Retail Investors and the Future of Financial Markets (co-edited), and (6) Public Value and the Post-Pandemic Society, all published with Routledge. In the academic realm, his research has been cited widely, and Dr. Chohan has testified before various authorities based on his technical expertise. Dr. Chohan has a PhD in economics from UNSW Australia, where his doctoral work led to the world’s first multidisciplinary synthesis of independent legislative fiscal institutions, and an MBA from McGill University (Canada), with coursework at MIT-Tsinghua. His previous practitioner experience includes working at the National Bank of Canada and the World Bank. He is also the President of the International Association of Hyperpolyglots (HYPIA), the leading organization worldwide for hyperpolyglotism and whose membership consists of the speakers of six or more languages. He appears frequently on domestic and international television, podcasts, and lecture series in various languages. He is also trained in South Asian musicology and plays the sitar. In addition, Dr. Chohan has maintained an annual reading challenge of 100 books every year since 2011. Dr. Chohan’s forthcoming seventh and eighth books are titled Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs): Multidisciplinary Perspectives (edited), and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): Innovation and Vulnerability in the Digital Economy (co-edited).