Learning from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Comparing policy responses in Uruguay with 10 other Latin American and Caribbean countries

Victoria Haldane; Mariana Morales-Vazquez; Margaret Jamieson; Jeremy Veillard; Gregory P. Marchildon; Sara Allin

Health Policy Open (Dec 2022)

Learning from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Comparing policy responses in Uruguay with 10 other Latin American and Caribbean countries

Victoria Haldane,
Mariana Morales-Vazquez,
Margaret Jamieson,
Jeremy Veillard,
Gregory P. Marchildon,
Sara Allin

Affiliations

Victoria Haldane: Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Mariana Morales-Vazquez: Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Margaret Jamieson: Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Jeremy Veillard: Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada; World Bank, Health, Nutrition and Population, Washington, DC, USA
Gregory P. Marchildon: Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Sara Allin: Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada; Corresponding author at: Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3
p. 100081

Abstract

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A range of public health and social measures have been employed in response to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Yet, pandemic responses have varied across the region, particularly during the first 6 months of the pandemic, with Uruguay effectively limiting transmission during this crucial phase. This review describes features of pandemic responses which may have contributed to Uruguay’s early success relative to 10 other LAC countries - Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago. Uruguay differentiated its early response efforts from reviewed countries by foregoing strict border closures and restrictions on movement, and rapidly implementing a suite of economic and social measures. Our findings describe the importance of supporting adherence to public health interventions by ensuring that effective social and economic safety net measures are in place to permit compliance with public health measures.

Published in Health Policy Open

ISSN: 2590-2296 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/health-policy-open

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