Seven months since cases of the coronavirus were first reported, some countries have effectively combatted the virus and brought the spread under control. The United States is not one of them. But experts say it’s not too late.
Americans account for roughly a quarter of the more than 551,000 global deaths from COVID-19 so far — far more than any other country, according to the latest global data from Johns Hopkins University. A number of states, as well as the country as a whole, have begun breaking daily records repeatedly for newly confirmed cases, and Florida reported on July 9 that more than 80 percent of its hospital ICU beds are filled.
In contrast, New Zealand had declared COVID-19 eliminated inside its borders by early June. People returned to sporting events and nightclubs. Nationwide, the virus killed 22 people overall.
During the early days of the pandemic, public health officials in that country calculated that COVD-19, a coronavirus like the common cold and SARS, could be snuffed out, but it would take extreme measures to do so. The entire country had to enter lockdown, health experts advised the country’s leadership, who trusted science over all else. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern relayed to her nation what public health experts had told her. That approach “brought people with us,” said Dr. Michael Baker, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of Otago who helped craft the COVID-19 strategy for New Zealand. It was a harsh thing the country had never done before, he said. Criticism pushed back against lockdown, saying Ardern and others were using “a sledgehammer to kill a flea,” Baker said. “It was definitely a sledgehammer, but not a flea. It was a very significant pandemic.”
For seven weeks, New Zealanders stayed home to stay safe and not overwhelm the country. The effort paid off.
Meanwhile, as cases mount, the U.S. government has maintained a hands-off approach, said Dr. Ashish Jha, who directs the Harvard Global Health Institute. That lack of national cohesion has left states to fend for themselves in figuring out how to best keep the virus in check, navigating shortages of protective gear and testing supplies, and deciding when and how to reopen. The result is a patchwork of responses, with some adopting more aggressive tactics, while others have taken far fewer measures — and seen their infection rates rise.
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