A data-driven discourse on COVID-19 dynamics throughout the eight-country region cites the number of cases to be small compared to that reported in several other countries. Jaya Satagopan, a professor in the School of Public Health and director of the Center for South Asian Quantitative Health and Education, writes that this should not become grounds for complacency, and that efforts to control the pandemic should reflect the region’s diversity.

This article provides a data-driven discussion of South Asia’s Covid-19 cases up to April 4, 2020. 

South Asia is the southern region of the Asian continent consisting of the following 8 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This region is home to over 1.8 billion people i.e., nearly 25% of the global population. Around 30% of the world’s poor live in South Asia, 16.1% of its population lives at or below US$1.90 a day, 30.5% live in slums, and 15.3% are undernourished. Collectively, these issues contribute to significant public health challenges for South Asia’s population. Further adding to the region’s conspicuous woes is the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. To read the full article.