The effect of case detection on the global dynamics of Covid-19 mortality: A cross-country analysis

This study analyzes the dynamics of Covid-19 lethality using a global sample of 137 countries for the period that ranges from January 2020 to December 2020. Using β-convergence and σ-convergence tests we find that there has been a convergence process in lethality rates and case detection rates across the globe. In a second step, we investigate if cross-country disparities growth rates of Covid-19 lethality can be explained by country differences in the rate of case detection and its evolution during the pandemic. Our results show the existence of a negative statistically significant relationship among these variables, such that the speed of
approximation towards lower long-run equilibrium mortality rates appears to be driven by increasing case-detection rates.