SDG Detail

A Poor People's Pandemic Report: Mapping the Intersection of Poverty, Race and COVID-19

Report

Project description

Crises do not unfold independently of the conditions from which they arise. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated preexisting social and economic disparities that have long festered in the US. Widespread and unequal distribution of wealth, income, and resources prior to the pandemic created the conditions for many of the negative outcomes associated with the virus. However, there have been glaring omissions in efforts to consistently collect and disseminate data on poverty, income, and occupation as they relate to COVID-19 outcomes. Income and wealth information are not systematically collected for people who have died or fallen ill from COVID-19 in the US; therefore, there is no systematic way to know the poverty status of those who have died. This has left a gap in our assessment of the pandemic, including both its drivers and solutions.