There is an increasing empirical literature on covid and social capital/social cohesion (often used interchangeably). Social capital/social cohesion is measured with a wide variety of variables, some of them actually not representing what they claim to represent.
Most papers are at the micro level but there are a few cross-country studies. Our paper is a cross-country analysis in which we analyze the effect of intergroup cohesion and personal safety and trust (two indices from the database Indices of Social Development) on covid-19 infection rates and death cases in 2020. We use a set of relevant control variables.
We find that both social cohesion and safety& trust have a statistically significant negative relationship with covid-19 infection and death rates. We discuss our findings in relation to government policies and suggest possible mechanisms, based on the social capital/social cohesion literature.