California's coronavirus death toll is way below New York's. Here's why

Others can learn from the so-called Swedish model for managing the pandemic, while at the same time should be wary of adopting its undeclared mission to achieve herd immunity. From the start of the crisis, Sweden has placed the responsibility for risk reduction on individuals and businesses rather than through government mandates. The gamble appears to have paid off, as people for the most part behaved responsibly and cautiously, suggesting a less damaging approach for the long haul. But whatever progress the country has made toward widespread immunity carries a big health cost.

Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have each shown success with slowing the pace of the coronavirus outbreak due in part from learning lessons during the 2002 SARS outbreak. Combining different approaches to social distancing and quarantine, travel restrictions, and public health campaigns focused on hygiene best practices, the countries have shown that it doesn't necessarily take "China’s draconian measures" to mitigate the spread.

Strict and early knockdowns and consistent public health messaging have helped Australia effectively eliminate Covid-19. Now, the country and its residents have largely returned to business as usual, despite many citizens still waiting to receive the Covid vaccine.

In an effort to contain the coronavirus, Alaska nurses are stepping in as "contact tracers," as a means of investigating who should be quarantined or tested. The initiative has been credited for helping keep Alaska's rate of transmission low thus far in addition to other measures such as social distancing.

Compared to countries of similar size and stature, Taiwan and Singapore both had extremely effective responses to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. Each faced their own unique set of circumstances, but they used common tactics, including stopping flights from China, rationing mask purchases, and proactively finding new cases along with quarantining current ones. Both countries' government officials also had effective and clear communications with themselves and the public.

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.

In North Carolina, nursing homes have largely been able to remain COVID-free due to proactive measures that focused on keeping residents safe. The facilities have been heavily relying on mask-wearing and social distancing but have also noted, "The surrounding community’s level of infection prevention and control as a prime factor in keeping long-term care facilities free from COVID-19."

San Francisco's "hammer and dance" approach to handling the coronavirus pandemic has helped the densely populated urban city begin to reopen ahead of much of the rest of California. Although the pandemic has undoubtedly taken a toll on the city's local economy, the strict and aggressive actions by the local government have resulted in the risk of infection now being considered as minimal.

A color-coded system is being adopted at hospitals throughout South Africa after seeing success in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The system uses red, yellow, and green color-coding to warn health care officials about their likelihood of coming into contact with someone who could expose them to the coronavirus. The tactic is just one of several new measures that have been implemented to keep frontline workers safe.

New Zealand went 100 days without a single new case of Covid-19 after implementing strict restrictions which included "no takeaways, no beaches, and no driving outside of your neighborhood." Because of the government's quick action, the county remained in lockdown for only seven weeks. The government is now keeping focus on elimination rather than eradication as it is expected that the virus could resurface.