Lockdowns kill (the poor) too

It has long been known, such as by researchers at Yale University, that “high unemployment rates increase mortality and low unemployment decreases mortality and increases the sense of well being in a community… Economic growth is the single most important factor relating to length of life… Employment is the essential element of social status and it establishes a person as a contributing member of society and also has very important implications for self-esteem… When that is taken away, people become susceptible to depression, cardiovascular disease, AIDS and many other illnesses that increase mortality.” Source.

As reported by the World Economic Forum, “The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown caused 114 million people to lose their jobs over 2020.” Source.

Scientific American explains that the people most affected will be the poor: “Unlike the Great Recession in which almost everyone was affected, it is highly likely that due to the nature of these measures, job losses will disproportionately fall on lower-paid jobs where teleworking is not possible. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017–2018) showed only 9.2 percent of jobs with earnings equal or below the 25th percentile could be done through telework.” Source.

However, Forbes reported that not everyone is doing so badly, as “U.S. billionaires have gotten about $1.2 trillion richer during the pandemic.” Source.

Okay then.