ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the socio-economic and public health settings within which coronavirus was to reach pandemic proportions. It begins with a review of public health data sources and their limitations before examining the reliability and comparability of the data collected in different socio-demographic, economic and political contexts. The chapter demonstrates the importance of situating comparisons in relation not only to key demographic indicators (population size, density and age distribution, and household composition), but also to the socio-economic environments in which national health systems are embedded. Both healthcare status and the capacity to prevent and react to health emergencies are examined. The review covers funding arrangements, levels of expenditure, provision of hospital and institutional care beds, various aspects of medical capacity, interventions to prevent diseases and preparedness to deal with public health emergencies. The conclusion considers how, in combination, socio-demographic characteristics and public health indicators can contribute to the comparative analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 in different policy settings.
