The Highs and Lows on a Global Spectrum (Alexa Malson)

COVID-19, unfamiliar and deadly, has caused more harm than anyone could’ve imagined just a few months ago. The United States, as well as other prominent countries like the UK, etc, were outrageously unprepared for the storm that awaited, as many countries were, except Taiwan.

According to CNN, Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, has faced 449 confirmed cases and only 7 deaths. While the rest of the world is floundering, Taiwan has been thriving for two main reasons: their relationship with China and their relationship with disease.

The obvious tensions between the two nations led Taiwan to take extra precautions against Chinese travelers after China began seeing traces of COVID back in 2019. Taiwan was suspicious of China’s immediate confirmation that the disease was able to be contained, so the government acted quickly and ordered screening of all passengers of flights from Wuhan, while also quarantining anyone that might be infected with the disease.

The government’s efficient response to the threats of disease are also in large part due to the severity of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in the early 2000s. After the jarring experience in 2003, the Taiwanese government learned how to prepare for such a situation, should it happen again. The quick deployment of safety measures, like requiring face masks, as well as implementing certain protocols that make diagnosis much easier, has made Taiwan a global role model (2).

Taiwan has a firm grasp on the pandemic, while the United States is drowning. One statistic makes the difference between each country shockingly clear. As of June 30, the United States has experienced approximately 36 deaths per 100,000 citizens, while Taiwan has only seen 0.03 deaths per 100,000 citizens (1).

These facts are frightening, but highlight the notion that other countries must follow in Taiwan’s footsteps and require masks nationwide, while responding to cases quickly and efficiently. The United, on the other hand, was slow to take the gravity of the situation into account. Travel restrictions were not widespread until the caseload became critical. After the cases began increasing within the country, screenings became mandatory, and nonessential travel was halted.

While people returning from foreign countries was a severe issue, the larger problem at hand was the lack of testing. Without the proper tools, it was nearly impossible to contain the virus among the few people who were confirmed to be ill (3)

Additionally, U.S. citizens were not taking the threat seriously, not was the government, which explains the extreme chasm between America’s and Taiwan’s current situations.

(1)https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/30/taiwan-lessons-fighting-covid-19-using-electronic-health-records/

(2)https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/07/10/opinions/taiwan-covid-19-lesson-united-states-chen/index.html

(3)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6918e2.htm