The states that followed the containment measures have lower number of cases per capita than those that didn’t. Surprise.
Coronavirus cases are rising in almost every U.S. state. But the surge is worst now in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment efforts or failed to implement basic measures like mask mandates in the first place, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the University of Oxford.
Using an index that tracks policy responses to the pandemic, these charts show the number of new virus cases and hospitalizations in each state relative to the state’s recent containment measures.
The wave of new restrictions in the United States follows national and regional lockdowns in Europe, where outbreaks surged past their spring peaks but cases per capita remained lower than many Upper Midwest states. A couple weeks into those lockdowns, countries with new restrictions may be seeing results: The rate of new daily cases has begun to level off or drop in France, Spain, Germany and Italy, though it continues to rise in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Hale said the Oxford data makes it clear that acting quickly and forcefully is the best shot governments have to combat the virus. And the more swiftly they can act, the shorter any lockdown-style policies need to be.
Some countries that implemented fast, early restrictions and robust test-and-trace programs have seen the most success. New Zealand recently lifted all restrictions following 10 days with no new cases. New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, called it a validation of the country’s “go hard, go early” strategy, in which the country reacts rapidly to signs of community spread.
Taiwan recently recorded 200 days without a new coronavirus case after its leaders focused on a speedy response and invested in mass testing and contact tracing. Despite an early outbreak, South Korea flattened the curve with aggressive testing and contact tracing, as well as widespread mask wearing.
“The question is — and I’m sure that’s the conversation now happening in the halls of power — what do we do next? Clearly you don’t want to wait too long because that’s the mistake we made last time, when things spun out of control. So there’s a need to make decisions and be decisive,” Dr. El-Sadr said. “Once you start thinking about acting, it probably is the time to act.”
Here in the US we’ve adopted the “whatever” strategy, which isn’t even as coherent as “herd immunity.” Some states are trying to save their citizens and some aren’t. And the federal government has completely given up on trying to save businesses so people are on their own there too.
We reached 250,000 known deaths from COVID yesterday. And it’s growing exponentially. You’re on your own. Stay safe …