The Psychosocial Impact of Compounding Humanitarian Crises Caused by War and COVID-19 Informing Future Disaster Response

Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021 Oct;36(5):501-502. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X21000844. Epub 2021 Aug 6.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the greatest global loss of life and economic impact due to a respiratory virus since the 1918 influenza pandemic. While health care systems around the world faced the enormous challenges of managing COVID-19 patients, health care workers in the Republic of Armenia were further tasked with caring for the surge of casualties from a concurrent, large-scale war. These compounding events put a much greater strain on the health care system, creating a complex humanitarian crisis that resulted in significant psychosocial consequences for health care workers in Armenia.

Keywords: Armenia; COVID-19; humanitarian crisis; pandemic; war.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Disasters*
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Relief Work*
  • SARS-CoV-2