Cook County, Minnesota, has kept COVID at bay

Despite being a small and historically underresourced nation, Bhutan has managed to contain the spread of the coronavirus and avoid all but one death from the virus during the entire duration of the pandemic thus far. Government officials acted swiftly when news of the novel coronavirus became public and implemented immediate testing, contact tracing, and quarantine measures that were well-received by citizens. According to a local journalist, "I don’t think any other country can say that leaders and ordinary people enjoy such mutual trust. This is the main reason for Bhutan’s success.”

Italy, once a major hotspot for Covid-19 cases, has seen a significant decrease in the spread of the coronavirus after implementing strict government regulations including mandatory travel restrictions and isolation protocols. The success of the measures has been evident as the country begins to reopen – lifting restrictions in two-week increments to account for the "virus’s incubation period" – with no sign of the virus still spreading and hospitals remaining largely empty of critical cases.

When coronavirus first appeared in the United States, Seattle emerged as an epicenter, but just a few months later, the city and state have largely reduced the overall caseload. Local officials say that a unified approach, consisting of a combination of measured governmental action and strategic conversations between leaders and tech giants, was the key to slowing the spread while also gaining buy-in from state residents.

A handful of nursing homes in New York have been able to avoid an onslaught of COVID-19 cases by focusing on education and training of the staff and keeping their workforce stable and well-supplied. While these methods aren't silver bullets, the "culture of shared accountability and caring” has been crucial to the positive outcome thus far.

Leaders of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota acted early and aggressively when the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping the nation, and so far, it has appeared to have helped the region to keep the caseload low. Using knowledge from previous outbreaks, focusing on community-information management and keeping in close communication with state officials, the Fond du Lac Band "has largely managed to stay out of the headlines."

Several rural counties in Oregon and Idaho have managed to slow the spread of the coronavirus through early intervention strategies and community compliance. Although the low population and rural nature of the regions also played a role in the success of the counties, the areas still adopted tactics such as mask-wearing and social media campaigns and implemented collaborative efforts between elected and emergency officials. Because of these efforts, several of the counties have been removed from Covid-19 watch lists.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Taiwan – a country of nearly 24 million people – has reported less than 500 cases and only seven deaths, largely due to the rapid implementation of a public health emergency response plan. By successfully using a combination of quarantine measures, social pressure, technology, and consistent communication, the country was able to begin reopening in May.

Due to its proximity to China, experts forcasted that Taiwan would experience a high number of coronavirus cases, but aggressive intervention strategies have kept the overall caseload much lower than expected. New regulations, especially focused on people traveling through the airport – such as enrolling travelers in a national coronavirus database, taking their temperature in the airport, and mandating a two-week quarantine – granted the government the capability of being able to track the spread of potential incoming cases.

Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea have each seen success through their efforts to contain the coronavirus. Using methods such as aggressive isolation methods that include penalties, contact tracing and rapid intervention strategies that were in place from previously dealing with other communicable diseases, the lessons these countries have learned could provide information for countries still struggling to slow 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.