A new report by the Legatum Institute provides a proof of concept for a holistic assessment of the impact of Covid-19 and the Government’s policy responses. The framework is based on the methodology of the Legatum Prosperity Index, which analyses the drivers of prosperity around the world. The report assesses the impacts of Covid-19 across a range of factors including:

- Direct health effects associated with mortality and illness from the virus itself.
- Indirect physical and mental health effects associated with changes in health service and care system provision, and behaviour and health impacts that are related to the pandemic but are not caused by the virus itself.
- Economic effects associated with lost economic output, incomes, and productivity.
- Education effects associated with school closures and disruption to the provision of education in other settings.
- Wider impacts that can cover a multitude of areas where the pandemic and people’s responses to it (in terms of chosen or enforced changes in behaviour) lead to impacts on wellbeing.

Overall, the report finds that the short and long-term impacts on health, the economy, and society between 21st March and 4th November resulted in a hit to wellbeing in England worth close to £800bn.

Read the full report here.