Black people no longer disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in Flint, health officials say

Despite never mandating a lockdown, South Korea has been able to better control the spread of COVID-19 as compared to other countries of similar economic and development status. Focusing on information management and testing, as well as the use of technology to aid both of these tactics, the country has kept the case count to fewer than 80 cases per day. According to the chairman of the World Health Organization’s global outbreak alert and response network, “No country has adapted to living with, and containing, the virus like South Korea."

Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan all implemented similar comprehensive public health emergency plans that successfully reduced the spread of coronavirus in each region. Although each country used tactics such as travel restrictions, widespread testing, transparent communication, and quarantine protocols, Taiwan and South Korea are emerging as models for other countries due to the structure of democracy.

In Minnesota, tribal leaders from the Band of Chippewa Indians worked closely with state officials at the start of the coronavirus pandemic to implement measures that would reduce the impact of the pandemic in their community where they knew it "would likely be severe." So far, the efforts have seen success evident in the infection rates which are significantly lower than the nation's average.

Rwanda, a country with the same population of Ohio, has emerged as an example of how to slow the spread of coronavirus, with only 1,500 cases reported so far. Besides initiating a lockdown, implementing free testing, and recruiting community health care workers, police, and college students to be contact tracers, officials also used "the same structure, same people, same infrastructure and laboratory diagnostics" that had been working to contain the spread of HIV.

Vietnam has reported less than 300 COVID-19 cases and no related deaths, earning the government and citizens praise for how the country has thus far tackled the spread of the virus. The country's comprehensive methodology of scalable testing, closure of borders, mandatory quarantine, and public messaging such as "staying home is loving your country," resulted Vietnam not just emerging as an outlier for containment, but has also allowed for local businesses and some tourist attractions to reopen.

South Korea’s rapid response to COVID-19 shares many successes that can be duplicated by other countries. Its main advantage came from its ability to create tests rapidly, which could happen quickly because of preparedness changes made after the 2015 MERS outbreak. It then scaled up drive-through testing, information-sharing about infected individuals’ location, and social distancing measures.

Although the future is unknown, for the time being, South Korea has largely contained the coronavirus pandemic by enacting a comprehensive response. Acting swiftly and aggressively, the country moved to initiate widespread testing, tracing and mapping of potential carriers, and a public information campaign to slow the spread.

Although Nebraska’s governor never ordered a statewide shutdown, shuns mandates, and the state’s vaccination rate is not high, the state has had an efficient and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nebraska has fared among the best in the country when it comes to health, economic, social, and educational factors. The success is due to a combination of solid pre-existing medical infrastructure, particularly in infectious disease, and efficient state government that allowed the state to function logistically without relying on the federal government.

When Covid-19 cases began to be reported in Washington state, the state government – at the suggestion of local health officials – enacted some of the most stringent restrictions in the nation. Although these actions did not come without trade-offs, in Seattle, the strategy has resulted in "the lowest death rate of the 20 largest metropolitan regions in the country."

Finland, Norway, and Denmark are three countries that have largely been able to contain the spread of COVID-19 and keep average daily deaths low, by implementing some of the "most relaxed combinations of restrictions." Although the virus has not been entirely eradicated, the success so far has been tied to a high rate of public compliance, preventative measures, and clear communication.