Women, blacks, and the elderly are among those in SA who have been worst affected economically by the pandemic, according to a new vulnerability index.

Derek Yu, an associate professor in economics at the University of the Western Cape, decided to revise and improve upon an existing vulnerability index compiled by StatsSA in 2020, considering socioeconomic, demographic, housing, hygiene, and health factors.

His findings have been published in a research paper titled “Revisiting the Covid-19 vulnerability index in SA”.

“I noticed StatsSA released a study in 2020 … But I found there is still room to improve the methodology further, especially the indicators [used],” Yu says.

According to StatsSA, “vulnerability” in this context refers to the demographic and socioeconomic factors that influence the resilience of individuals and communities affected by Covid.

“Individuals coming from female, African and elderly-headed households living in rural areas in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo were relatively more vulnerable to the pandemic,” Yu said.

“In addition, residents from the Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Harry Gwala, OR Tambo and Umzinyathi districts, as well as individuals living in numerous municipalities from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, were identified as most vulnerable to the pandemic.”

Yu said his index, by identifying those most vulnerable to the pandemic, is intended to make the government realise “it needs to pay more attention to these people and areas in terms of preventing the spread of Covid-19″.

Mervyn Abrahams, programme director of the civil society body Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group, said: “It is also what we are seeing, and it is also households headed by females, almost totally African. This has been the situation even prior to the pandemic. The pandemic has only made the situation worse.

“When we look at the impact of Covid, it is a largely a financial issue, that there are not sufficient funds coming into a household because of job losses and cutbacks. The more people who become unemployed the deeper the vulnerability becomes.

Source by: Times Live