COVID-19 syndemic, stigmatization, and social vulnerabilities: A case of Bangladesh

Abstract

ABSTRACT The global spread of COVID -19 accompanied with the behavioral, psychosocial, and structural elements of social stigma engendered social and bio-medical complexity due to the COVID -19 syndemic. The study aims to explore the process of stigmatization and the extent of social vulnerabilities affected COVID -19 people of Bangladesh. The study used purposive sampling, where a total of 15 different cases were selected from 11 online newspapers in Bangladesh. Results revealed that infected and suspected patients were largely stigmatized through local hatred and eviction, forced quarantining, impeding burial process, hospital and local administration’s mistreating, family-negligence, relatives’ avoidance, and the land owners’ disgracing. The excessive media coverage of maintaining lockdown, quarantining, and physical distance were the major causes of increasing rumor where the poor-income group, female workers, and employees of health-care services were seriously vulnerable. The study findings recommend several guidelines forrecognizing practicability and capability for combatting COVID 19 syndemic.