Coronavirus Assignment
Name
Institution
Date
Dealing with Coronavirus
In the heat of Coronavirus, different countries have taken various measures to combat its spread. This is to ensure that they contain the pandemic within the shortest time possible to ensure the resumption of normal operations. While some countries seem to get it right, others have not been able to respond appropriately, and this has landed them into more trouble. Some states have expressed denial, fumbled for a long time, and eventually resorted to lockdowns after being hit badly by the Covid-19 pandemic. A lot of lessons can be derived from the responses undertaken by different countries across the globe, especially during the early weeks of the outbreak. The US is one of the countries that seem to have fumbled during the most critical time of the attack. Through that, they missed the chance to contain and stop the virus from spreading. Most countries that made such a mistake are now focused on slowing the spread of the virus or flattening the curve to ensure that death tolls do not climb any further.
The application of lockdowns has been evident in most countries after being overwhelmed by the spread of Coronavirus. Some have even lifted their lockdowns intending to flatten the curve eventually. A country like Taiwan, which faced a massive threat from the pandemic, took the appropriate measures to contain the virus on time. Despite being a country with the second-highest number of Coronavirus infections globally as of the end of January, it has managed to completely stop the virus spread without putting in place extreme restrictions, such as lockdowns or closure of learning institutions. In some areas, death tolls reached the top in the early stages of their breakouts. Preparedness, mass testing, as well as swift response, are critical to the effectiveness of containing the spread.
The US is now the hardest-hit-country in the world, with about 40,000 deaths in raw numbers. Taking the size of the population into account, a success level like that of Taiwan could have translated to only 83 mortalities in the United States. Even though Taiwan has one of the highest quality universal healthcare, its achievement in fighting Coronavirus is primarily related to its readiness, speed, meticulous contact tracing, and central command system. Taiwan’s tactics should act as a benchmark for the US and other countries that do not seem to get things into perspective. Even though the US lacked proper preparedness and has already missed the chance to act swiftly at the start, it can still apply some of the measures put in place by the US to speed the flattening of the curve, since things seem to be getting out of hand. For instance, they can utilize big data and technology to track vulnerable populations. Above all, the privacy of every citizen should be respected to prevent misuse of people’s data/information during and after the pandemic. They can also have a well-coordinated contact tracing measures to ensure every possible infection is tested and quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus.
Just like Taiwan, Iceland seems to have gotten everything right in its fight against Covid-19. Widespread testing has played a significant role in maintaining low numbers of infections and mortalities in Iceland. With only 1700 infected cases and only eight deaths, the US can borrow a leaf from them. In countries like the US, they mostly focus on testing and treating the ill. However, Iceland has been aggressive and innovative in the fight against Covid-19, without necessarily instilling severe restrictions. Just like Iceland, the US can ensure partnership between the private and public sectors to steer efforts towards mass testing and diagnoses. Acting preventatively is also a critical measure that assisted Iceland to get ‘ahead of the curve.’ Any more infections and deaths in the US means that the country requires stricter actions in place. All public amenities should be closed indefinitely, and all forms of gatherings of more than 20 people banned altogether. And if possible, every American citizen should undergo testing for the virus, whether they show any symptoms or not. The government should not take any chances because there could be many more infected people who, if not traced and tested, continue to spread the virus further.
South Korea is the third country to have contained Coronavirus spread with major effectiveness despite having reported the first case in the same period as the UK and US. The US can adopt more effective testing techniques like South Korea. South Korea has implemented drive-through booths resembling McDonald’s to offer free and swift testing carefully carried out by staff. The US seems to have copied this strategy in various states, which is an excellent move in the Covid-19 pandemic fight. It is now time for the entire country to consider implementing to speed the flattening of the curve. The US should learn from the past through other pandemics that have affected some states in the past. Germany is the fourth country to have successfully contained Coronavirus spread. They have also invested more in widespread testing and building capacity at healthcare facilities. Germany has very high-quality healthcare and has more bed capacity that it even requires. It is the opposite in the US, which has a bed capacity of around 94,000, meaning that they are short of about 15,000 beds. The US should, therefore, look into expanding its hospital capacity to reduce the death toll by increasing survival chances.
Reference
https://apple.news/AjS2aDHkdSdS5Ykj8_31Kfw