The State of Research Focused on COVID-19 in the Arctic: A Meta-Analysis

The following is an excerpt from an article published in July 2023 as part of the Arctic Yearbook special journal issue entitled "Arctic Pandemics: COVID-19 and Other Pandemic Experiences and Lessons Learned." The full article and journal issue are available open-source from Arctic Yearbook.

Abstract

The Arctic region faces unique risks and challenges as a result of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken to respond to it. Arctic communities have distinct health, social and economic needs and circumstances that were more pronounced during this pandemic. Research offers an important opportunity to understand the region’s unique conditions and characteristics for pandemic management. Only by systematically examining its impacts can public officials, community leaders, medical professionals and other decision-makers have the knowledge needed to decrease further harm due to COVID-19 and leverage this opportunity to support the resilience of Arctic communities. This article contributes to this knowledge building effort by surveying the literature (peer reviewed and grey) that explicitly focuses on COVID-19 in the Arctic between 2020 and 2022. We analyze this emerging body of work with a focus on identifying overarching trends (time, countries studied, scale of analysis, specific populations). We also map the themes and topics considered in this literature with a focus on highlighting topics that are prominent and those that are conspicuously underrepresented. This analysis seeks to inform our understanding of, and response to, the pandemic and other global shocks in the short-, medium- and longer-term. 

Introduction

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to be a global pandemic (WHO, 2020b). In the following months, this infectious disease spread rapidly and reached all regions of the globe at a pace unprecedented in human history. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a rapid global shock that has severely disruptive consequences (OECD, 2011). However, while the presence of COVID-19 has been pervasive, people’s experiences with the pandemic have been diverse. As a consequence, there is an emerging literature that explores the varying impacts of the pandemic on different countries, industries, socioeconomic statuses, age groups, genders, etc. This research is critical not only to understand the differentiated impacts of the pandemic, but to examine the broader systemic and structural biases within our societies. Lessons and insights learned from the pandemic offer an opportunity to inform our actions to effectively break down barriers and build resilience.  

In June 2020, a preliminary assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic and the actions taken to respond to the pandemic was released by the Arctic Council (2020) in a briefing document prepared for Senior Arctic OfficialsClick or tap here to enter text.. This report, released early in the pandemic, was produced using available material and data; however, given the short timeframe, gaps in information, and the evolving circumstances, the report recommended that additional research would be needed.

Research to examine the experiences of Arctic residents and communities with COVID-19 offers an important opportunity to understand the region’s unique conditions and characteristics for pandemic management. It also helps in advancing our understanding of the specific impacts and lessons learned from the spread of COVID-19 and related public health responses in the Arctic. This article surveys this new literature focused on COVID-19 in the Arctic. Through this form of meta-analysis, we contribute to building our region-specific knowledge by examining where research is taking place and the common themes and issues that have been explored regarding COVID-19 in the Arctic.  

The goal of this article is to raise awareness among researchers and decision-makers and deepen their understanding of the responses to and impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic. This analysis provides the Arctic research community with opportunities to examine common themes and identify research synergies. It also highlights areas with limited research and invites experts and knowledge holders to reflect on why these gaps exist and to what extent this analysis could inform future research priorities. Furthermore, we aim to provide an overview of this emerging literature for decision-makers – those responsible for future policy actions in the Arctic at every scale.  We seek to demonstrate that research related to COVID-19 in the Arctic provides decision-makers with important resources that can contribute to evidence-based actions that advance the resilience of Arctic communities in the face of a pandemic and other major shocks, including climate change, geopolitical crises, and massive socio-economic pressures.

This article begins by providing an overview of the methodology used to conduct a meta-analysis of the literature focused on COVID-19 in the Arctic. We then present key findings from this analysis. We begin by analyzing the overarching trends in this emerging literature over time, geography, scale of analysis, and key populations. We subsequently examine the issues and themes identified in this literature using three broad categories: pandemic spread and public health responses, pandemic consequences, and lessons for the future.