Economic Burden of COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients, Public

The economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients and the general public has been considerable, according to a systematic review published in ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research.

“[N]onpharmaceutical interventions [such as lockdowns] only have partial success in lowering the economic costs of the pandemic,” the authors wrote. “Implementing additional preventative measures such as large-scale vaccination is vital in reducing direct and indirect medical costs, decreased productivity, and GDP [gross domestic product] losses.”

The systematic review included a total 37 studies, of which 35 were individual studies and two were systematic literature reviews.

According to the findings, patients with severe COVID-19 had higher costs. Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and in-hospital resource use, such as mechanical ventilation, were the main drivers of costs across multiple countries. Mechanical ventilation in the ICU was associated with cost increases between $2082.65 ± 345.04 and $2990.76 ± 545.98.

“An estimation of a 20% COVID-19 infection rate based on a Monte Carlo simulation in the United States led to a total direct medical cost of $163.4 billion over the course of the pandemic,” researchers wrote.

COVID-19 pandemic GDP losses mostly stemmed from productivity losses and nonpharmaceutical interventions, according to the review.

“In longer-term models, [COVID-19] screening tests were considered cost-effective in all economic models,” researchers wrote. “Similarly, social distancing was more cost-effective than quarantine, herd immunity, and having no intervention. Antiviral treatments and curative treatments were considered the most cost-effective option compared with any other measures against COVID-19.”

Janssen Global Services funded the study.

Reference:
Richards F, Kodjamanova P, Chen X, et al. Economic burden of COVID-19: a systematic review. ClinicoEcon Outcomes Res. 2022;14:293-307. doi:10.2147/CEOR.S338225