How China and South Korea's battle with coronavirus offers glimmer of hope

As countries continue to try to contain the coronavirus pandemic, "non-pharmaceutical initiatives" are showing promise as a means to slow the spread. Countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan – all of which enacted travel restrictions, quarantine methods, and social distancing protocols early – have been able to slow the rate of transmission to some degree.

Despite the devastation Italy has seen from the coronavirus pandemic, the town of Codogno has been able to largely avoid the same fate. Crediting immediate "drastic containment measures," that went into effect after the initial cases were reported and included adherence to social distancing and other social restrictions, the city has been able to flatten the curve of cases and lift some restrictions.

As much of Europe and the United States are still in the early stages of trying to contain the coronavirus, countries in Asia offer several lessons in mitigation strategies. Rapid government intervention and regulation helped to slow the spread in Taiwan while in South Korea, increased transparency and mass testing – made possible because the country opened the process to the private sector – have shown to have helped flatten the curve of transmission.

Singapore among several other countries have been able to contain coronavirus by working to stay ahead of the spread, rather than confront the spread as it happens. Using strategies – some partially built after learning from failure during the SARS outbreak – such as rigorous contact tracing to determine who may have come into contact with an infected individual, these countries have shown, "early intervention is key."

Situated less than 90 miles from China, the coronavirus outbreak could have been critical in Taiwan, but the country's proactive measures helped to stave off the worst of the disease. Having learned from SARS epidemic, Taiwan had prepared for future situations by creating a comprehensive command center and implementing a transparent communication strategy both of which have helped slow the spread of Covid-19.

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."

As the coronavirus outbreak began to show signs of spreading the United States, six counties in the Bay Area of California quickly instituted stay at home and shelter-in-place orders. Although the virus is still spreading in much of the country, the early and aggressive measures taken in this region are believed to have contributed to the lower-than-expected caseload reported by hospitals in these counties.

When faced with the coronavirus pandemic, a number of countries around the world "opted for delayed containment strategies," but countries such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, which took the opposite approach, have seen more success with mitigating the spread. The governments in these countries implemented many aggressive initiatives that were aimed at widespread testing, restricted travel, and contact tracing.

New Rochelle, New York, took early and strong measures to contain the COVID19 outbreak – closing schools, banning large gatherings, opening drive-thru testing. And while it’s still early, those measures are showing indications of success, slowing the rate of increased cases and moderating the influx of cases on the area’s health care system.

In learning what could best work to contain the coronavirus, Italy is offering lessons to other countries in what has failed to work there. Dubbed the new "epicenter of a shifting pandemic" after reporting the highest death count, countries are learning that rapid and early intervention that is communicated clearly is a key component to slowing the spread.