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Younger population, early lockdown and general immunity help SA countries keep low Covid-19 mortality rate, says study
Factors such as a younger population, early lockdown and some level of general immunity may have helped India and other South Asian countries keep the Covid-19 mortality rate down compared to other nations, says a study.
Bengaluru-based epidemiologist Dr Giridhara R Babu and researchers from the Philippines and the US conducted the study, which was recently published in the journal Science Direct.
The South Asian region comprises eight countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — and is home to one-fifth of the world’s population. It accounts for 21 per cent of the reported Covid-19 cases in the world and 11 per cent of the deaths. Despite low level of pandemic preparedness, the countries have done well in mounting an appropriate response, the study notes.
“The region has a lower rate and proportion of deaths attributed to Covid-19, despite case surges similar to the rest of the world,” it states.
Initial Covid-19 projections had placed South Asia at a higher risk of suffering more fatalities because of high population density, greater burden of comorbidities, socioeconomic vulnerabilities and poor healthcare infrastructure. A younger population with the average age of 25 may be a factor in the lowerthan-expected mortality rate, the researchers have observed. The relatively late onset of the pandemic in South Asia may have also played a part. “As the number of Covid-related deaths disproportionately affects the older population, these countries might have a unique advantage,” says the study.
Immunity is another aspect. “Possible exposure to other coronaviruses in the past may have helped the population in these countries to develop innate immunity, which could have reduced the severity of the infection. We have listed out hypotheses, but they need to be proved,” said Dr Babu, head of life-course epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). The researchers point out that data inaccuracies could have resulted in an underestimation of deaths in South Asia.
The researchers analysed countries’ preparedness using the Global Health Security Index Score. India scored 46.5 out of 100, Bhutan 40.3, Pakistan 35.5, Nepal 35.1, Bangladesh 35, Sri Lanka 33.9, the Maldives 33.8 and Afghanistan 32.3. “Each country had a different preparedness level. They have witnessed a lower mortality rate compared to the UK and the US, which had better preparedness,” Dr Babu told STOI.
The study’s other researchers are: Sonalini Khetrapal from Asian Development Bank, Philippines; Dr K M Venkata Narayan from the Emory University School of Medicine, US; and R Deepa and Daisy A John from PHFI.
SriLankan Airlines has announced that SriLankan Airlines flights UL 503 (Colombo to London Heathrow), scheduled to depart at 12:50 hrs and UL 504 (London Heathrow to Colombo), scheduled to depart at 20:40 hrs today [21 March 2025], have been cancelled.
Passengers requiring assistance are encouraged to contact the SriLankan Airlines Customer Centre at 1979 (within Sri Lanka), +94117 77 1979 (international) or +94744 44 1979 (WhatsApp chat) or reach out to their nearest SriLankan Airlines office or their travel agent.
The United Kingdom’s Heathrow airport has closed until midnight on Friday due to a power outage, throwing the plans of tens of thousands of travellers into chaos.
London’s main airport, which is Europe’s busiest gateway, said on Friday that it had suffered a “significant” power failure due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the facility.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” Heathrow airport said in a post on X.
“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said the shutdown would affect “at least” 1,351 flights.
“We’re trying to stop passengers from travelling to the airport, and then work with airline partners on flights that are delayed, diverted, or cancelled,” a Heathrow spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “Passengers can reach out to airline partners to work on rebooking.”
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said the roads leading to the airport were blocked, causing “traffic chaos locally”.
“But local traffic disruption is nothing compared to the air traffic disruptions that will be spreading around the world,” he said.
Heathrow is one of the most globally connected airports and regularly ranks among the top five busiest gateways worldwide.
The airport serves more than 200 destinations in nearly 90 different countries and territories, and last year handled nearly 84 million passengers, the largest number on record.
[Aljazeera]
The Secretary to the Prime Minister, Pradeep Saputhanthri, participated in the World Bank Group’s Global Digital Summit 2025, held from March 17 to 20 at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Under the theme “Digital Pathways for All,” the summit brought together global authorities, development partners, private sector leaders, and key stakeholders to explore innovative digital solutions and their role in advancing economic and social development.
The summit provided valuable insights for Sri Lanka’s ongoing digitalization initiatives, which are being spearheaded under the leadership of the President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During the high-level discussions, Mr. Saputhanthri engaged with global experts to examine emerging digital technologies and strategies that can drive inclusive and sustainable digital transformation in Sri Lanka.
On the sidelines of the Global Digital Summit, Mr. Saputhanthri held discussions with key officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He met with Mr. Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Dr. Krishnamoorthy Subramanian, Executive Director of the IMF, Dr. Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF, and Dr. PKG Harischandra, Alternate Executive Director at the IMF.
During these meetings, Mr. Saputhanthri provided an update on the progress of Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and expressed appreciation for the continued support of the IMF Executive Board, Senior Management, and Staff following the successful completion of the Third Review under the EFF in February 2025. He reaffirmed the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to meeting the forthcoming EFF review milestones. Discussions also covered the government’s ongoing digitalization efforts, aimed at supporting vulnerable communities, improving tax system efficiency, and enhancing overall economic productivity.
Mr. Saputhanthri also held a meeting with Mr. Martin Raiser, Vice President for the South Asia Region at the World Bank, to convey appreciation for the World Bank’s extensive support to Sri Lanka. Mr. Raiser reaffirmed the World Bank’s steadfast commitment to assisting Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and development. The discussions focused on future collaborations to ensure continued financial and technical support for the country’s long-term stability and growth.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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