March 31, 2021 By Syed Abbas Hussain Over a year after its outbreak, Covid-19 continues to stalk the globe. Though no country has escaped its wrath, the effects of the pandemic have fallen disproportionately on developing regions. These are places where women and girls, ethnic and religious minorities, residents of congested urban slums, and workers in the informal economy who lack benefits or safety nets are especially vulnerable to the pandemic’s assault on health, livelihoods, individual rights, and personal security. In South Asia, poor nutrition and hygiene, limited access to healthcare, and the ever-present shadow of economic hardship have amplified the suffering of vulnerable groups. The communities most at risk from the virus are often the least able to follow basic safety protocols such as mask-wearing and social distancing, because masks and space are scarce. Public information campaigns have left serious gaps: vaccine hesitancy has emerged as a major obstacle to the goal of herd immunity, and effective communication of the science of the virus has become a priority. The health crisis and its economic repercussions have inflamed communal strife, triggering scapegoating of minority communities and interfaith violence in some territories, as exemplified by clashes between Sinhali Buddhists and minority Muslim groups in Sri Lanka.