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. 2022 Jul 25:5:272.
doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16380.2. eCollection 2020.

Integrating economic and health evidence to inform Covid-19 policy in low- and middle- income countries

Anna Vassall  1 , Sedona Sweeney  1 , Edwine Barasa  2 , Shankar Prinja  3 , Marcus R Keogh-Brown  1 , Henning Tarp Jensen  1   4 , Richard Smith  5 , Rob Baltussen  6 , Rosalind M Eggo  7 , Mark Jit  7
Affiliations

Integrating economic and health evidence to inform Covid-19 policy in low- and middle- income countries

Anna Vassall et al. Wellcome Open Res. .

Abstract

Covid-19 requires policy makers to consider evidence on both population health and economic welfare. Over the last two decades, the field of health economics has developed a range of analytical approaches and contributed to the institutionalisation of processes to employ economic evidence in health policy. We present a discussion outlining how these approaches and processes need to be applied more widely to inform Covid-19 policy; highlighting where they may need to be adapted conceptually and methodologically, and providing examples of work to date. We focus on the evidential and policy needs of low- and middle-income countries; where there is an urgent need for evidence to navigate the policy trade-offs between health and economic well-being posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Covid; cost-effectiveness; health economics.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing interests were disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. The scope of micro- and macro-economic models of Covid-19.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Incremental impact of Covid-19 response on compliance with physical distancing.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Impact on compliance, including transmission risk.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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