The new coronavirus: how should the world respond?

Further reading:

[TheEconomist]

What do you want to know about the impact the covid-19 pandemic is having? Ask any questions you have here, we will put them to our resident coronavirus experts and publish a film with as many of the answers as possible on Tuesday 24th March

[_________________]

2 months ago The Economist literally said we should not overreact and it will just blow over. Look where we are now.

[iveco]

This is literally the Bill Gates speach on TED in 2015, down to details....

[kayak]

Korea's holy trinity of suppressing epidemic: mass testing, case-tracking, and isolation (positive) / quarantine (exposed/at risk). I find the mass testing, however, not doable in low to middle income countries simply because of cost and insufficient number of testing kits and RT-PCR machines.

[simonjlkoreshoff]

We can see the British government’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic reflected in the deputy editor’s comments: over-emphasising the problems of containment and suppression strategies by describing China’s response as draconian, extreme, costly, and only likely to prevent a return to prior infection levels through repeated application of these measures. Similarly, South Korea’s success in containing its outbreak was presented as extreme and unsustainable. The deputy editor seemed as concerned with limiting potential economic losses as with saving human lives.

It is not hard to imagine how such views would have the ear of the government at the early stages of the pandemic. However, as deaths started to pile up in Italy, Britain swung behind social distancing and mitigation strategies which enforced may finally help finally contain the virus and limit deaths. The economic modelling that the government initially relied on was chosen because it reflected views the government already had, as opposed to many experts in the field of pandemic management. It shows how government listens to the “science” that it wants to listen to which is not judgement-free.

[maxdc]

Singapore and South Korea's method would have higher chances of success if the disease is not widespread. And the country has the manpower to undertake the super enormous task involved. The alternative would be China's method.

[jrushen]

Brilliant precise information, no waffle. A breath of fresh air...

[xinghengliu]

ppl: give me liberty or give me death
coronavirus: I can give you both

[martijntreffers]

I call the Dutch mitigation approach the "getting infected in the Lidl approach". I guess in a few weeks we'll be having an idea if this approach is anywhere near being realistic.

[singgiansong]

WHO director seems to be a joke... Was the one downplaying the seriousness in the early stage. Not someone in his position should do.

[johnc]

I'm glad there is no racism or prejudice in the comments, hope everyone fine

[dbddhuy]

Soundtracks of this video’s are scary 🤯

[starkjon]

We can see a totally different mind between Asian people and West people when dealing with something like this.

[BKLau]

Asking "How" now? Little late? Economies been entering recession anyway ... Covid-19 merely speeding it up ...

[gauthiermuguerza]

Thanks for this great video. Take care!

[mratifchaudhry]

How this epidemic have exposed the limitations of international institutions and globalisation?
We are living in highly interdependent world but we are failing to act in an integrated way.

[antb]

A map of pre-WWII Poland (in Polish!) and Holy Marry are hanging on the wall behind the guy. Hmmmm

[johnting]

Thanks for a measured and meaningful expose of this pandemic paired with practical and pragmatic proposals, Merci, Danke, Grazie Mille, Muchos Gracias, Arigatogzaima

[Janelleybean]

Have people who’ve fully recovered from the disease been tested to see if they’ve developed immunity?

[mykolakanyuk]

Mr Edward Carr, why do you keep an old map of Poland (pre 1939) on your wall?