Sociology of COVID-19

Terms are Political

  • Use terms "COVID-19" (the disease) or "coronavirus" as precisely as possible, not as the "Chinese virus"

  • Use "specimen-tested" (for now? as a description), instead of "cases" to emphasize current info based on lab tests (problems: lack of broader testing, individual with multiple tests, failed tests due to lab errors, and so on)

  • Use "safer distance," instead of "social distance" (need to convey stronger socio-political connections in these times)

  • Problematic epidemiological terms that need more appropriate phrasing (for the general-public):

    • "Self-quarantine," "quarantine," "isolation," and "shelter-in-place"
    • "Super-spreader"
    • "Community spread"
    • "Index patient" (and related term "patient zero") and "index case"
    • "Infections"

Problems with Social Epidemiology

  • Political (WHO, national gov'ts, etc)
    • Changing definition of the symptoms (varying national def.) 

    • Uneven guidelines for public safety
      • Face masks or not

      • Gloves or not 

      • Physical distancing (varying national def.) 

  • National and regional "clusters" and "epicenters" 

Enablers of the Pandemic: Economic & Political

  • Neoliberal Policies: Economic
    • Privatization and deregulation of hospital and health facilities

    • Anarchy of production and distribution from masks and ventilators to food items
      • Defense Production Act (targeted GM) 

    • Big Pharma (private test kits and vaccine development) 

  • Neoliberal Policies: Political
    • Decentralized government responses (FEMA) 

    • Militarization
      • US National Guard

    • State control, surveillance and criminalization
      • Phone data tracking

    • EPA: Reduce enforcement of environmental protection (question of water quality)

    • Economic and political sanctions 

  • International Agencies (WHO, UN, and so on)

  • Misc
    • China, HK, and Taiwan 

    • South Korea

    • Iran

    • Italy and Spain

    • African countries

    • Latin America and Caribbean countries 

    • Other countries and territories 


Impacts: Social & Economic

  • Impacts on health workers and professions
    • Homecare facilities 

  • Impacts of US workers and the poor
    • Enforcement and practice of "shelter-in-place"

    • Seafarers and cruise ship workers 

    • Mass layoffs (Macy's, Kohl's, Gap)
  • Impacts of the US middle-class 

  • Impacts of racial-ethnic and migrant communities
    • Uncertainity for agricultural and food processing migrant workers 
    • Anti-Asian violence and hysteria
    • Detention centers 

    • Racial-targeted enforcement 

  • Celebreties and politicians
    • Initial testing
  • Impacts of cities and rural areas (in the US)
    • NYC metro region 

    • Shifting migration patterns

  • Prisons and detention centers

    • Early release
    • Question of safer distancing 
  • Physical and tech-mediated interactions
    • At work

    • Family and households
    • Health &wellness issues incl. emotional wellbeing  

    • While shopping and consuming 

    • Education and schooling 

    • Organizing and protests 


Public & Social Media Protests

  • Nurses and hospital staff & workers (US)

  • Instacart, Amazon, and McDonald's Rest. workers strikes (US)

  • Prisoners protests 
  • Support for cruise ship workers such as the Grand Princess cruise ship (US)

  • Sanctions Kills campaign (international)

  • Malaya campaign against Duterte's failures (Philippines)


In Context

  • 1918 flu pandemic
    • World War One and US government misinformation campaign
      • Use of terms

      • Public "safety" campaign 

    • Two "waves" (spring and fall) in the US

  • 1980s AIDS pandemic
    • Use of terms

    • Big. Pharma interests

    • Discrimination and scapegoating 

    • Protests

  • SARS and "MERS" epidemics