The Murderous Coronavirus: Data and Statistics to Die or to Adapt, But Together – That is the Question

Abstract

Coronavirus is a health pandemic that threatens to spawn an economic depression. The paper explores how the official statistics constituency has been affected inter alia in its readiness of, responses to and requirements for addressing coronavirus by official statistical agencies. First, in the production of statistics and second in measuring the impact of coronavirus in society. The paper sheds light on how the virus has attacked the very lens of observation – statistics as content and statistics as an institution. In particular we explore how the pandemic disrupted the 2020 Round of Population Censuses and what country responses are. In this regard, the responses of countries would be explored from the logistical and operational readiness and adaptation. We will explore how the statistical lens has been used to understand the effects of COVID-19 on well-being. The results of Alkire–Foster method (see OPHI, 2020) that generates multidimensional poverty index will be shared.