The Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on …

1 The Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on developing Asia ADB BRIEFS. NO. 128. 6 March 2020. Key Messages The Economic Impact of the COVID-19 . Outbreak on developing Asia1. The ongoing COVID-19 . Outbreak affects the PRC. and other developing Asian economies through numerous channels, including sharp declines in domestic demand, lower tourism and business travel, trade and production What is COVID-19 ? linkages, supply disruptions, A new coronavirus disease, now known as COVID-19 , was first identified in Wuhan, and health effects. People's Republic of China (PRC), in early January 2020. From the information known at this point, several facts are pertinent. First, it belongs to the same family of The magnitude of coronaviruses that caused the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Outbreak in the Economic Impact will 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Outbreak in 2012.

2 Second, the depend on how the Outbreak evolves, which remains highly mortality rate (number of deaths relative to number of cases), which is as yet imprecisely uncertain. Rather than focusing estimated, is probably in the range of 1% significantly lower than 10% for SARS. on a single estimate, it is and 34% for MERS (Table 1, first column), but substantially higher than the mortality important to explore a range rate for seasonal flu, which is less than Third, even though it emerged from of scenarios, assess the Impact animal hosts, it now spreads through human-to-human contact. The infection rate of conditional on these scenarios COVID-19 appears to be higher than that for the seasonal flu and MERS, with the range materializing, and to update the of possible estimates encompassing the infection rates of SARS and Ebola (Table 1, scenarios as needed.)

3 Second column). The range of scenarios Table 1. Fatality Rates and Infection Rates of COVID-19 and Other Epidemics explored in this brief suggest a global Impact of $77 billion to Fatality rate (deaths/cases) Infection rate (per infected person). $347 billion or to of Ebola 50% global GDP, with a moderate case estimate of $156 billion or MERS of global GDP. Two-thirds SARS 10% 3. of the Impact falls on the PRC, COVID-19 1% where the Outbreak has been concentrated so far. Seasonal flu MERS = Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, SARS = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The estimated Impact on individual developing Asian Sources: World Health Organization; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Althus, C. 2014. economies and on sectors Estimating the Reproduction Number of Ebola Virus (EBOV) During the 2014 Outbreak in West Africa. within these economies is ; Choi, S.

4 , E. Jung, provided in this brief, including Choi, Hur, and M. Ki. 2018. High Reproduction Number of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in Nosocomial Outbreaks: Mathematical Modelling in Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Journal of a hypothetical worst-case Hospital Infection. 99. 168; Heymann, D. L. and N. Shindo. 2020. COVID-19 : What is Next for Public scenario for a given economy Health?. Lancet. (20)30374-3; and Wu, Z. and J. McGoogan. 2020. that experiences a significant Characteristics of and Important Lessons from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) Outbreak in Outbreak of its own. China: Summary of a Report of 72,314 Cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 1. The authors of this brief are Abdul Abiad, Mia Arao, Suzette Dagli, Benno Ferrarini, Ilan Noy, Patrick Osewe, Jesson Pagaduan, Donghyun Park, and Reizle Platitas.

5 The work has benefited from comments received from numerous colleagues across the Asian Development Bank (ADB). 2. An analysis published in JAMA ( ). of 72,314 cases in the PRC found an overall case fatality rate of , with much higher ISBN 978-92-9262-063-9 (print). fatality rates for those aged 70 79 ( ) and those aged 80 and above ( ). ISBN 978-92-9262-064-6 (electronic). ISSN 2071-7202 (print). ISSN 2218-2675 (electronic). Publication Stock No. BRF200096. DOI: ADB BRIEFS NO. 128. Figure 1. Total COVID-19 Cases, 20 Jan 29 Feb 2020. 100,000. 80,000. 60,000. 40,000. 20,000. 0. 20/01/2020 30/01/2020 09/02/2020 19/02/2020 29/02/2020. People's Republic of China Rest of the World Note: The discrete jump in the series in mid-February is due to the change in the diagnostic criterion applied to identify infections. Sources: CEIC Data Company; and World Health Organization.

6 2020. Coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) situation reports. diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situatio n-reports/ (accessed 2 March 2020). The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen rapidly, Economic activity will be affected first in the PRC and more recently worldwide, quickly surpassing in many ways the totals from SARS. As of end-February 2020, COVID-19 had infected 85,403 people in 55 economies, with a global death toll There are several channels through which the COVID-19 . of 2,924. The PRC still accounts for the vast majority 97% of Outbreak will affect Economic activity in the PRC, the rest total fatalities and 93% of total cases (Figure 1). As of early March, of developing Asia, and the world. These include a sharp but however, the number of confirmed cases outside the PRC has been temporary decline in domestic consumption in the PRC and rising, particularly in the Republic of Korea (3,150), Italy (888), other Outbreak -affected economies, and possibly investment if and Iran (388).

7 Despite having a similar infection rate yet lower the Outbreak affects views on future business activity; declines fatality rate than SARS, total cases and fatalities from COVID-19 in tourism and business travel; spillovers of weaker demand to have already far surpassed the totals for the 2003 SARS Outbreak other sectors and economies through trade and production (Figure 2). linkages; supply-side disruptions to production and trade (which are distinct from demand-side shocks spilling over through trade This brief summarizes ADB analysis of the global, regional, and production linkages); and effects on health such as increased and economy- and sector-specific Economic Impact of the disease and mortality as well as shifts in health care spending. COVID-19 Outbreak . It lays out the various channels through which Each of these are taken in turn.

8 Economies will be affected and quantifies the likely magnitudes of the effects under a range of scenarios. It is explicit about the Consumption in the PRC will experience a sharp, temporary scenario assumptions, and the methods used to calculate the drop, as occurred during the 2003 SARS Outbreak . Perhaps the Impact . Importantly, the brief provides estimates not only of the most important channel through which Economic activity is global and regional impacts, but also granular details on how affected is through a sharp but temporary decline in domestic individual economies and sectors within economies will be consumption in the PRC resulting from behavioral and/or policy affected, including under an illustrative worst-case scenario for changes people staying home as a precaution, or because they an economy that experiences a significant Outbreak .

9 The brief are told to. This occurred during the SARS Outbreak in 2003;. concludes by summarizing the actions ADB and its developing retail sales growth in the PRC declined by almost 3 percentage member countries (DMCs) are taking to respond to the COVID-19 points (pp) during the second quarter of 2003 (Figure 3). The size Outbreak . of the consumption shock in the current Outbreak could be 2. The Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on developing Asia Figure 2. SARS and COVID-19 Infections and Fatalities 90,000. 80,000. 70,000. 60,000. 50,000. 40,000. 30,000. 20,000. 10,000. 0. 1 Mar 17 3 5 2003. 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 232527293126. 3335373941. Apr 2003 4345474951 5355575961 6365676971 7375 7 Aug 2003. 20 Jan 2020 29 Feb 2020. SARS infections COVID-19 infections SARS deaths COVID-19 deaths SARS = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Source: Asian Development Bank calculations using data from CEIC Data Company and World Health Organization.

10 2020. Coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) situation reports. (accessed 2 March 2020). Figure 3. Retail Sales and Personal Consumption Expenditures during SARS Episode 12. SARS Outbreak 11 PRC: Retail sales, 2002 2003 (y/y % change). (Feb June 2003). 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. Oct-02. Oct-03. Dec-02. Nov-02. Dec-03. Nov-03. Aug-02. Jun-02. Apr-02. Jan-02. Aug-03. Jul-02. Jun-03. Apr-03. Feb-02. Sep-02. Jan-03. Jul-03. Feb-03. Sep-03. May-02. Mar-02. May-03. Mar-03. SARS = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Sources: Haver Analytics; CEIC Data Company; WHO; and ADB. bigger than that experienced in 2003, depending on the length geographic reach, and/or becomes a recurring phenomenon that and severity of the Outbreak and the policy responses taken. affects future business activity materially, a decline in investment In a scenario where the Outbreak is more protracted, expands its is also 3.