As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we sought to understand the wide-ranging impacts that COVID-19 had on people using a model or conceptual framework as listed below:
Direct impacts
Infection with COVID-19
- Short term illness – may include hospitalisation
- Long COVID
- Death
Indirect impacts
Impacts on
- Health behaviours (eating, drinking, smoking, moving)
- Mental health
- Vulnerable groups
- Lived Experience
Impacts of changes to
- Access to healthcare
- Income
- School and education
- Built and natural environment
In each case a literature review along with any Plymouth specific data was considered. It will come as no surprise that the vast majority of these impacts were negative, on cohorts of people and/or the population as a whole. The one exception to this centred around the final point, where people’s reported experiences of accessing green spaces close to home was highlighted.
As we usually find, impacts (positive or negative) are not evenly distributed through the population; this has been no different for the impacts of the pandemic.
How COVID-19 has highlighted inequalities