We have been focused on fighting COVID-19 as it impacts the U.S. and the industrialized world, but what will happen when the pandemic continues its spread into developing nations? The recent news that poorer countries weigh reopening despite rising numbers of cases makes this an even more urgent question.
Poor countries, with their lack of resources, poor medical coverage, and densely populated towns and cities, maybe facing an unprecedented disaster as the pandemic strikes them. And because the world has shrunk, spread to low-income countries will also impact the U.S.
In late March, modelers at the Imperial College, London estimated that without intervention, seven-billion people could be infected with COVID, with 40 million deaths this year, the largest burden falling on low-income countries (average annual per-capita income of <996 USD).
