Coronavirus is a global problem. Nations have responded to it in very different ways. Some of these approaches were very effective while others were plain irresponsible. There is a lot to learn from the outcomes. Here is a look at what worked and what can be done better.
Response evaluation
Foreign Policy Analytics (FPA) developed the COVID-19 Global Response Index. Published in January 2021, the index evaluates countries’ responses to the novel virus based on several key metrics. The Index is the first effort to track national responses in critical policy areas including public health directives, financial measures, and fact-based public communications. FPA’s COVID-19 Global Response Index includes 36 countries so far.
The best responses
FPA’s index found that New Zealand and Senegal had the most effective COVID-19 responses. New Zealand started implementing preventive measures just 3 days after the WHO declared the coronavirus a public health emergency. According to New Zealand’s Director-General of Health the country’s strategy was based on speedy testing, contact tracing, and isolation, while rigorously adhering to public health guidelines.
Senegal was the fourth African country to have a confirmed COVID-19 case in early March 2020. The government quickly imposed a curfew and restricted all domestic travel between the country’s 14 regions to delay any internal spread. With mobile labs Senegal was able to quickly increase testing capacity. Many of the COVID-19 tests provided results within 24 hours. Hotels were transformed into makeshift quarantine units. The director of the Africa program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies pointed out that Senegal was faced with the Ebola outbreak in 2014. This provided the country with a ‘blueprint’ on how to approach COVID-19.
The worst
The United States, Brazil, and Mexico were ranked at the bottom on FPA’a index. Reuters reported in January 2021 that with about 4% of the world’s population the US accounted for almost 25% of all global COVID-19 cases. TIME said that despite the best attempts of public-health officials, many elected leaders in the US did not take the COVID-19 threat seriously at first. Donald Trump downplayed the severity of the virus. He banned travelers from China but did not establish an adequate testing and tracing program soon enough. America is home to millions of migrant workers. They regularly send remittances to their home countries via the Ria Money Transfer App and other channels. A speedy and effective response to the virus could have saved many of their jobs from being put on hold.
In Brazil there were 73,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in December 2020. Brazil, much like the US, suffered from the inaction of leadership. According to the BBC President Jair Bolsonaro played down the virus. Early on in the crisis he went on TV several times, calling it “a little flu” and accusing the media of hysteria. The state governors took their time to introduce quarantining measures.
In Mexico COVID-19 patients have been succumbing to respiratory failure in many public hospitals. Forbes said that Mexico’s under-funded and poorly-equipped hospitals simply cannot provide dedicated intensive care to the tens of thousands of Mexicans who contracted the virus. Forbes added that the root of the problem in Mexico is the leadership’s failure, much as in the US and Brazil.
Lessons
The most important element of pandemic preparedness is a resilient health system. It is the only way to rapidly detect, assess, report, and respond to novel outbreaks. 2 countries that have such systems are Japan and New Zealand. Countries that clearly lack resilient healthcare systems include Nairobi and Mexico. To build such resilient health systems there must be important health policy reforms. Governments must prioritize healthcare spending in annual budgets. Financial authorities must work closely with the health sector. This is exemplified by New Zealand’s response to coronavirus. At every stage of the response the country’s government based its decisions on the recommendations of health officials. Communication is a big part of fighting novel infections. It is important for governments to make the population aware of potential dangers to their health and lives.
What now?
With strong countermeasures the coronavirus pandemic is receding. The CDC found that COVID-19 cases in the US have declined by 69% over 5 weeks since January 11. Senior health professionals remarked that this was primarily achieved with simple and effective precautions such as wearing masks.
Brazil’s capital and several other cities entered a 2-week lockdown to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The measure came after intensive care beds began to fill in some of the important cities. Several Brazilian states resorted to curfews. Brazil plans to roll out a vaccination drive and aims to cover the entire population by the end of 2021. However a new variant of COVID-19 has been found in Brazil, which may be 3 times more contagious.
According to the Guardian, this pandemic won’t end abruptly, but slowly. Each country must get control over the domestic spread of COVID-19. This can be achieved with widespread testing, vaccines, and better treatments. Safe and effective vaccines will be great to have; but for now we must be cautious. Continue wearing masks, practice distancing, and avoid crowds.
About the author:
Hemant G is a contributing writer at Sparkwebs LLC, a Digital and Content Marketing Agency. When he’s not writing, he loves to travel, scuba dive, and watch documentaries.