Why South Korea's coronavirus death toll is comparatively low

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.

Thousands of people in Wuhan, China are volunteering to buy groceries, get medicine, and take community members to the hospital as a means to help those that need it during the coronavirus outbreak. Although the volunteers do not knowingly transport anyone diagnosed with coronavirus, the drivers wear protective clothing during their drives, which are organized by local neighborhood committees.

In early January, doctors at UW Medical Center began preparing for a coronavirus outbreak by transforming a research lab into a screening center for coronavirus that delivers results within a day. Now, coupled with a mobile clinic that allows for people to be tested from within the confines of their cars, the city has been able to test a large volume of people more safely than if they were being tested from within a hospital.

China has seen success in containing the coronavirus through strict governmental oversight but when the virus made its way to Vietnam – a country with similar rule – the government enacted more transparent approaches and relied on social networks to mitigate the spread. Although it is yet to be seen if one methodology was superior to the other, Vietnam's strategy of accountability and transparency has "proved to be effective and furnished positive results."

Unlike the United States, South Korea has seen rapid success in slowing the spread of coronavirus by implementing widespread testing protocols and increasing transparency. Instead of government officials giving updates, public health experts report to the public while throughout the nation pop-up and drive-through testing sites allow for mass-scale testing, all offered free of charge to citizens.

The coronavirus pandemic swept the nation at a time when many would be going to polling stations to cast their votes in primary elections, but vote-at-home practices are providing a solution for this civic inconvenience. Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and now Utah have all implemented statewide all-mail election campaigns that not only improve voter turnout, but also cost less to taxpayers than only relying on in-person polling booths.

In order to effectively manage the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea, government officials have stepped in by increasing transparency, subsidizing home medical equipment such as face masks, and rapidly distributing testing kits. The efforts have resulted in many more people already being tested than anticipated and behavioral changes taking effect within the population.

As countries around the world work to slow the spread of coronavirus, several places including Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau have reported success from a handful of methods. Mass testing is a common factor throughout each, but financial incentives for self-quarantine, temperature checks at small businesses, and complimentary hand sanitizersr are a few other solutions that have shown promise.

While many countries are struggling to control the spread of the recent coronavirus outbreak, South Korea has reported a decline in daily caseloads due to their rapid and comprehensive response. By expanding testing sites to include drive-throughs, canceling events and implementing more thorough testing protocols in their international airport, the country has offered lessons for others who have not yet determined a course of action.

As coronavirus continues to spread around the world, social distancing is being implemented due to its proven success with helping to drastically slow the spread of the Spanish flu in St. Louis Missouri. In a comparison of St. Louis and Philadelphia – a city that did not institute social distancing practices – limiting the time in public spaces helped to keep per capita flu-related deaths in St. Louis "to less than half of those in Philadelphia."