Socioeconomic Effects of Covid-19 in the United States

The Covid-19 pandemic had deep socioeconomic consequences in the United States leading to an increase in poverty and social inequality To restrict the spread of Covid-19, the government took certain public health measures that had as a result lost wages or jobs, reduced health coverage, and reduced access to other essential goods and services that affect the quality of life and access to the most basic rights of children and youth.

Moreover, the pandemic exacerbated structural poverty and the already existing social inequality in the United States, as thousands of people lost their jobs or experienced significant reductions in their wages. In April 2020, the unemployment rate increased to 14 8% which is the highest rate observed since data collection began in 1948 by the United States Congressional Research Service; and by July 2021, unemployment remained higher (5 4%) than it had been in February 2020 (3 5%)

Even though the pandemic affected millions of people in the United States, it is relevant to acknowledge that it impacted demographic groups disparately In all sectors of society, Indigenous, Black, Latinx and Asian Immigrants suffered a greater negative impact and consequences due to unresolved remnants of colonialism and other historical and structural discrimination patterns our societies have not been able to overcome Unfortunately, Black, Hispanic and younger adult workers experienced relatively high peaks in unemployment as well as a significant decrease in their labor force participation over the course of the pandemic. Additionally, persons with lower educational completion have generally experienced relatively higher unemployment rates and are less present in the workforce during this time

Another example is the particular impact on women, immigrants, and their children, as they have the lowest wages and are regularly present in service jobs, which exposes them to higher risks of infection, illness, and death from the disease, according to Human Rights Watch. A higher proportion of food production workers are non-citizens compared to all workers (22% vs 8%) and food production workers, in particular Black and Hispanic workers, also are more likely to be uninsured compared to workers overall (17% vs. 10%). It is important to keep in mind that approximately 3.4 million individuals work in food production industries

These workers have limited ability to weather the loss of income due to the government public health measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic As a result, they fell further into poverty and debt, and their kids’ opportunities to access education also decreased. Low-wage workers are often uninsured. So not only are they more likely to be exposed to infection, they have little access to medical care and treatment when they fall ill This is particularly true of the immigrant community Fear of potential negative consequences, such as deportation, is a barrier to signing up for health insurance, leaving immigrants all the more vulnerable

Socioeconomic Conditions

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