Highly interconnected logistics systems facilitate the rapid flow of goods and humanitarian aid, but also shape the pathways through which health risks are transmitted during large-scale emergencies. While logistics performance is often considered to enhance crisis response capabilities, its impact on public health vulnerability during pandemics remains unclear. This study uses the COVID-19 pandemic as a starting point to explore the relationship between humanitarian logistics performance and pandemic severity and response capabilities in different countries. A three-stage analytical framework is employed: reviewing relevant theoretical and empirical research; utilising cross-national data and regression analysis to explore the link between pandemic transmission and logistics performance; and using Singapore as a case study to illustrate the regression results in logistics-intensive economies. The study reveals a paradox of logistics mobility and risk. While high logistics performance enhances responsiveness and system continuity, it may exacerbate public health risks by increasing interconnectivity and urban population concentration. Based on this, the study emphasises the importance of differentiated FDI governance, strengthened emergency planning, public health education, and the development of health-oriented smart logistics systems, redefining logistics performance as a determinant of health-related risks and resilience, and providing policy implications for improving preparedness for future public health crises.
Kim et al. (Fri,) studied this question.