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Friday, October 30, 2020

What Can Other Nations Teach Us About Combating Covid?

Common concerns about Covid should unite people everywhere, regardless of nationality.

According to a piece in the October 30, 2020, The Week magazine, China has largely halted the spread of its coronavirus epidemic "through a combination of strict lockdowns, face-mask mandates and mass testing and contact tracing." 

China is an authoritarian regime, of course, and is able to impose restrictions in a way that is not as easily accomplished in a society focused on exercising its individual freedoms, even if contrary to the common good. But China may be the only major economy that will achieve positive growth this year, according to the article.

Here are some numbers:

Population

China 1.4 billion            US 328 million

Covid Infections

China 86,000                 US 8.5 million

Covid Deaths

China 4,700                   US 226,000

New Cases In A Recent Day

China 13                         US 48,000

We can always dispute the accuracy of information coming from China, and I welcome your fact checking here. But I hope we can learn from experiences of other countries, including many of the more democratic ones that have been more successful in combating the virus and reviving their economies. 

2 comments:

Tom said...

And the accuracy of U.S. statistics are to be questioned too. While I'm not a fan of China's leadership, it's obvious that leadership in a time crisis is important. Name calling and placing blame on others isn't leadership.

harvspot said...

Well said, Tom.