While other countries lost precious time, Taiwan mobilised to keep COVID-19 at bay

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.

After witnessing chaos during the MERS outbreak, South Korea immediately began implementing measures to avoid disaster should another public health crisis occur. Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts much of the world, the country has been able to successfully deploy their new and improved emergency response system – which includes letting hospitals and medical professionals play a larger role – and their accelerated approval system, allowing tests to be created at a more efficient pace.

Although Taiwan and Canada saw the beginning of coronavirus outbreaks within days of each other, Taiwan has been able to better contain the spread. Using tactics such as integrating "its health insurance database with its immigration database" and using the military to help produce protective masks for medical workers, the Taiwanese government's aggressive approach offers lessons in how to use big data and regulations to stem the spread of infectious diseases.

As countries respond in different ways to the COVID19 pandemic, those with systematic government approaches have proven to be strongest thus far. Places like Hong Kong and Singapore created immediate systems for testing and quarantining, putting quick pressure on stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus. On the opposite end, places like Iran and the United States have fared worse because of a lack of immediate response and capacity for testing.

Although the United States, Spain, and Italy are still working to contain the coronavirus outbreak, countries across Asia have seen some success. By implementing rapid intervention and widespread testing, places such as South Korea and Taiwain have seen a decrease in cases and have begun steps to lift some of the restrictions that were in place.

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."

The testing efficiency and protocols implemented in South Korea to slow the spread of coronavirus have proven to be successful, with the latest reports of the country showing that reports of cases have leveled off. Combining "a single-payer health-care system and a sweeping infectious-disease law," the country was able rapidly identify potential cases and enact isolation in order to contain the spread of the virus.

South Korea is emerging as a model for many countries battling the spread of coronavirus, thanks to the country's quick response to initiate widespread testing and contact tracing methodology. Having learned from what failed during the outbreak in 2015, the country has been able to keep their death toll under 1 percent, unlike many other countries battling the pandemic.

As the United States struggles to test all citizens exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, Australia and Canada are offering lessons about best practices for preparing for a pandemic. Having learned from previous outbreaks, these countries implemented protocols such as a national hotline, easy-access to information about testing sites, and "an agency to coordinate and help finance testing and treatment during any kind of viral or disease outbreak" – all of which help make testing more efficient.