Kryzysy i pandemie. Przegląd dotychczasowych współzależności

Abstract

Crises and pandemics. A review of past interdependencies Purpose: The purpose of the study is to review the interdependencies between past economic crises and epidemics and pandemics. Design/methodology/approach: A critical review of the literature on past economic crises and previous epidemics and pandemics faced by humanity was conducted. The development of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first actions taken by various countries to counter the spread of coronavirus were characterized. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic is not the first global threat to human health and life worldwide. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has gradually spread to different parts of the world due to—at least initially—the high mobility of people. National governments have generally made similar decisions to limit the spread of the virus and mitigate the negative consequences of the pandemic. Originality and value: The chapter reminds us that people’s memory is short. The world has already faced diseases that threaten people in many parts of the world many times. Compared to previous pandemics, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been so far small, and human mortality has been much lower than in the case of SARS and MERS viruses, although the territorial scope of the current pandemic is much wider than that of earlier ones.