The unequal effect of pandemics on aging and longevity: A health economic analysis

Abstract

We propose a health economic model to examine the short- and long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on individual aging and longevity, conditional on attitudes towards protection, initial health status, age at the onset of the pandemic, and individual misconceptions about the consequences of infections. Moreover, we explore the individual-specific effects of Long Covid on long-term health outcomes. Individuals invest in their health to slow down health deficit accumulation and take measures to protect themselves from infectious diseases. The model captures how the severity of Covid-19 infections depends on the frailty (pre-existing conditions) of infected individuals and how infections contribute to the accumulation of chronic health deficits and mortality risk from non-communicable diseases. We calibrate the model for an average American. In addition to understanding the unequal health effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we also contribute to understanding health inequality in general.