How Major Countries are Handling Covid-19, and How They're Doing Now
By Laura Lee
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Caption: Lack of concern from many in the general public and certain governments are costing countries thousands of lives every day.
Since China reported its first cases of COVID-19 to the World Health Organization in December 2019, about 97.3 million cases and 2.1 million deaths have been reported in 218 countries and territories. With vaccines being administered worldwide at this moment, it is the predominant hope that this devastating virus will be eradicated soon enough, and lives will return to something close enough to normalcy.
Every country is tackling the coronavirus in their own ways. What they initially did to prevent cases from spreading and how they’re fighting COVID-19 now is vital to ensure as many lives as possible are kept safe. Some countries established strict lockdown measures — in Beijing, China, all schools were closed and millions were commanded to stay inside, helping to slow the spread of cases. Other countries failed to see the virus as a threat, which has cost them countless lives. Here are how some major countries have been handling the virus, and how their efforts have impacted them. All data is accurate as of January 21st, 2021.
United States
Cases: 24,434,283
Deaths: 406,001
Initially calling the virus a ‘hoax’, severely undermining its seriousness, US President Donald Trump focused more on keeping the economy running rather than controlling the spread, leading to an astonishing and tragic number of cases and deaths. Misinformation from the government as well as a lack of overall organization in containing the virus is causing millions of Americans to downplay the effects of COVID-19 and continue to gather, without social distancing or masks. Since taking office on Wednesday, President Joe Biden has urged Americans to wear masks for the next 100 days and signed an executive order requiring masks on planes, buses, trains, and at airports.
Brazil
Cases: 8,638,249
Deaths: 212,831
Even with the second highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in the world, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, like American President Trump, has continued to play down the virus, ignoring medical advice and even participating in anti-lockdown protests. Many of Brazil’s poorer communities have been hit especially hard due to the people there having a lesser likelihood of having health insurance. Additionally, the reported numbers of cases in Brazil are suspected to be much higher in reality due to delayed testing and pressure on local administrators to minimize the number of reported cases.
United Kingdom
Cases: 3,515,796
Deaths: 93,649
The UK’s high case and death tolls are the result of a lockdown imposed far too late into the pandemic. Weeks after the first case was confirmed in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated: “It’s very important that people consider that they should, as far as possible, go about business as usual.” Even after the country went into lockdown, travel restrictions weren’t put into place until June 2020, contact tracing was abandoned in March when cases were still dangerously high, and front-line workers were not provided with adequate protective equipment. The UK’s approach seems to be to have a lockdown every few months and wait out the virus, which differs from other countries having a more concrete plan to battle COVID-19.
These countries are currently among the hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of cases and deaths. The way they faced COVID-19 played a substantial part in this; specifically, the failure of the governments to take action early is one of the largest factors to blame. There are other areas, however, that have done a significantly better job at containing the virus as best as possible and controlling the spread. Here are three places with highly effective responses:
New Zealand
Cases: 1,911
Deaths: 25
New Zealand’s approach is more aggressive than many countries, taking a step further from ‘flattening the curve’ to ‘disease elimination’. As early as February 2020, travel restrictions to and from other countries were imposed. When Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern imposed a full national lockdown on the country, there were only 102 cases at the time and 0 deaths. Recently, the central city of Auckland was partially shut down after a single student tested positive for the virus.
Iceland
Cases: 5,975
Deaths: 29
With a small population of around 364,000, Iceland’s path to stopping the spread seems to be less of a daunting task than in much larger countries like the United States. However, Iceland took the virus very seriously from early on, and managed to decrease the number of active infections without going into a large-scale lockdown. The government will cover an individual’s full salary if they are suspected to be infected and have to stay inside, giving people higher motivation to be honest about their symptoms.
Singapore
Cases: 59,197
Deaths: 29
According to infectious disease specialist Leong Hoe Nam, Singapore’s success in keeping the mortality rate down is partially due to the fact that the average age is lower. Just because the overall population has a smaller chance of a fatal infection doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be taking steps to prevent cases, though. With their virus-fighting experience from SARS in 2003, Singapore acted fast, tightening border controls almost immediately after China reported their first cases and implementing a contact-tracking app that will hopefully combat the transmission of the virus to older family members.
It’s evident that a good portion of the world wasn’t prepared for a pandemic. What really matters in the face of a crisis is quick action and having the right priorities. Although larger countries like the United States are facing a greater struggle than smaller ones like Iceland, efficient communication and teamwork could have saved millions of lives — and they still can.
COVID-19 has affected the world in ways most people could have never imagined. Precious, irreplaceable lives have been lost, streets and concert halls have become eerily quiet, and people are now weighing the risks of going out to buy groceries. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel — and with a proper strategy to tackle the coronavirus, the world has a chance to defeat this sooner rather than later.
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