We Can Learn from Countries That Are Handling the Coronavirus Effectively

A coordinated, science-driven, national-level strategy is vital to an effective response.

By Christine Crudo Blackburn &
Leslie Ruyle

4 MIN READ

Jun 23, 2020

COVID-19 has put political leaders and health care systems worldwide to the test. Although lockdowns are the common approach, some countries have opted for less stringent measures.

and , we have spent years analyzing how countries prepare and respond to pandemics. We believe this is certain: The policy and communication choices that national leaders make has a measurable impact on the effectiveness of pandemic response.

Some countries respond with science

In particular, Germany and New Zealand have handled the crisis effectively. Both countries used a science-based approach and strong, centralized messaging.

Germany discovered its . At the time, the country鈥檚 health minister considered COVID-19 a low threat; still, Charit茅 University Hospital in Berlin began developing a test. Within a month, new test kits were available鈥攁nd Germany鈥檚 labs had already .

By mid-March, the country had . Testing was swiftly rolled out, and within about two weeks, Germany was processing more than . Around this same time period, the United States had tested about and did not reach numbers similar to Germany until . Chancellor Angela Merkel led Germany鈥檚 coordinated response, which included social distancing policies along with the early and wide-scale testing.

Not everything went smoothly. In many instances, still had autonomy; this led to a degree of discontinuity in policy implementation across states. Yet most Germans to the policies set forth by the national government. Now Germany is moving to lift restrictions.

New Zealand, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, responded with a slogan: 鈥�.鈥� In mid-February, were banned.

On March 23鈥攁 month after its first case鈥擭ew Zealand committed to an elimination strategy and implemented a strict national lockdown despite having only . Schools were closed, along with nonessential businesses. Social gatherings were banned. A 14-day self-isolation period was required for , with a few Pacific Island exceptions.

With a population of just under 5 million, New Zealand has already tested more than people鈥攁bout 4% of its population. It is now expanding the program.

Like Germany, the country has emphasized science, leadership and consistent messaging. New Zealand鈥檚 Ardern builds public trust through regular appearances on social media, including posts . As of May 9, the country had from COVID-19.

Instead of hand-washing, a hands-off approach

Brazil and Nicaragua have taken a decidedly different approach. Leaders of both countries have adopted a 鈥渉ands-off鈥� policy鈥攊n some cases, even discouraging people from following public health measures taken in other countries.

, Brazil recorded its first case. Since then, the country has reported more than 300,000 cases and 20,000 deaths鈥攖he third largest outbreak in the world, behind only the U.S. and Russia.

Over these months, President Jair Bolsonaro has said the virus is not a threat, calling it a 鈥�.鈥� He has also social distancing measures put in place by governors.

Brazil has many advantages over its neighbors for an effective pandemic response: , a large community-based primary care delivery system, and experience responding to the Zika health crisis in 2015.

But the lack of leadership from Bolsonaro have led some to label him as the 鈥溾€� to the country鈥檚 ability to fight the SARS-CoV-2. His continued attacks on , along with the , have disrupted efforts to control the pandemic. An Imperial College of London showed Brazil with the highest rate of transmission of the 48 countries examined.

Nicaragua has also failed to acknowledge the dangers of this virus. President Daniel Ortega, an demanding his resignation, is resisting travel restrictions while to stay open. He discourages the , even by health care workers.

With his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, Ortega has suggested that people attend church and go to the beach; they even organized a huge parade on March 14. The ruling couple, however, are noticeably absent for many of these activities, at which social distancing is impossible.

In a country of more than 6 million, Nicaragua reported from COVID-19 as of May 15. But many experts suspect the true number of infections is much higher, both because of minimal testing鈥攖he government allows only 鈥攁nd because many COVID-19 deaths are classified as 鈥減neumonia.鈥� Since January 2020, pneumonia deaths in Nicaragua have reportedly been . But Nicaragua has little government transparency, so the data is difficult to confirm.

Lessons for the U.S.

Reliance on science and centralized messaging help countries move faster to safely lift restrictions. Confusing and mixed messages, coupled with distrust of scientific experts, lets the virus spread. In the U.S., messaging is confusing and and defers to state governments for most policy development. This decentralization has led to vastly different actions by governors. Georgia and , while Washington and well into the summer.

A coordinated, science-driven, national-level strategy is vital to an effective response. But at the moment, the U.S. federal government has communicated more like Brazil and Nicaragua, rather than Germany and New Zealand. The examples we highlight here are a warning to us all.

This article was originally published by . It has been published here with permission.

Christine Crudo Blackburn is currently the deputy director of the Pandemic and Biosecurity Program at the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A&M, conducting research on various aspects of pandemic disease policy and control.

Leslie Ruyle is an associate research scientist and assistant director at Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A&M University.