Impact on vulnerability

After four years, the longer term effects of the pandemic are clear. Vulnerability derives from the uneven distribution of power, and Covid-19’s impact was marked when people were unable to access services, lacked adequate formal support, or lacked the right to such support. Covid-19 infection continued to impact families and communities whose vulnerability and disadvantage derives from the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, gender, disability, and citizenship; these factors increase risk of infection, illness, and social suffering. Measures to prevent infection, at times harshly enforced, constrained people’s access to social and health services, and income generation in the informal sector especially affected those isolated and living with social disadvantage. People who were marginalised, living with disabilities, or without official identity papers, suffered especially. While the Covid-19 SRD provided some support to poor households, grants did not match the rising costs of food and commodities. Financial stress and social isolation impacted the mental health of all groups, with the increased incidence of gender-based violence and child abuse. With unemployment, housing insecurity, and the rising costs of utility bills, transport, medical care and food, people drew on savings. Nonprofit community-based programmes, such as soup kitchens, also intervened to address people’s most immediate needs. Local initiatives for people without shelter, family or community support illustrate the potential for innovations to address disadvantage in any circumstance.