Economic Impact of Government Interventions during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran: A Systematic Review and Content Analysis

Abstract

Background: Iran is one of the hardest hit countries by COVID-19 and has witnessed a high incidence and prevalence of mortality and morbidity cases. This study generally aims to highlight the main economic aspects of government responses to the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. Methods: In order to benefit from a comprehensive tool to evaluate direct and indirect costs of approvals, a preliminary systematic review was conducted. Qualitative content analysis and simplified method of activity-based costing (ABC) were used in order to calculate the aggregate cost of a given set of activities. The direct and indirect costs of approvals based on the aggregated costs of categorized activities were analyzed. All costs were converted into US dollars using the monthly mean exchange rate. Results: Totally, 164 publications were included in the systematic review. Designed tool was approved by expert opinions (met CVI>0.79 and CVR≥0.6) and seven aspects of economic consequences of COVID-19 interventions were assessed. The overall tangible and calculable costs were estimated about 25,755,700,000 US$. Direct support and compensation for losses of industries and companies accounted for the largest costs (41%) related to COVID-19 interventions (10,587,000,000 US$). Conclusion: Establishing economic security for industries, rapid and simultaneous measures of prevention, treatment and vaccination, and increasing household income can significantly reduce the costs of controlling similar diseases in the future.