UK think tank: PH most vulnerable to COVID-19 shocks

MANILA, Philippines — UK-based Oxford Economics has ranked the Philippines as the most vulnerable to pandemic-induced shocks, reflecting a still low vaccination rate and prolonged mobility restrictions preventing greater economic reopening.

The Philippines’ COVID-19 vulnerability score—at about six on a scale where zero meant the least vulnerability—topped among the 42 advanced and emerging markets covered by the think tank’s October 2021 scorecard.

The least vulnerable included the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Norway, Chile, and Finland; on the flip side, the cellar-dweller Philippines was joined by Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, and Greece in the bottom rung, Oxford Economics’ Oct. 28 report showed.

An economy’s overall vulnerability to COVID-19 was measured by Oxford Economics across the health infrastructure (including hospital beds and doctor density), economic structure, health policy (like vaccination rate, testing, contact tracing as well as lockdown stringency), and epidemiology (daily cases and deaths).

In a range of one (with a high vaccination rate) to 10 (with a low vaccination rate), the Philippines scored eight.

Oxford Economics said the scores of the Philippines, Pakistan, and Egypt posted the “biggest deterioration” compared to a similar scoring in January.