Griffith has been following the pandemic since the beginning and says it’s too early to give a full explanation of the variation, though some points are clear.
Griffith says many countries in the region have made contact tracing a basic part of their response.
He gives the example of Vietnam, a country bordering China that has yet to record any deaths due to COVID-19.
“Vietnam has a very competitive touch tracking system,” he said. “They’re doing touch tracing. “
Griffith says it’s the right technique in the early stages, when most cases come from elsewhere.
Japan has adopted a strategy, deploying “group destroyers” to identify not only contacts, but also conditions under which the virus can spread smoothly.
“Japan hasn’t made the leap to response generation, while many countries have turned to apps,” Griffith says. “Some of the technological measures they have taken have been very helpful, speeding up the movement of data, but none of them can update the basic systems of classic public fitness contracts. “
He says the more they are grouped together, the more you perceive where the dangers lie.
New Zealand’s word was “Build your bubble. ” He asked people to believe not only in themselves and the dangers they face, but also to design a bubble that would contain all the other people they come into contact with in a normal way. For example, it would be inside the bubble. Most other people have to keep their distance.
Griffith says other governments recognize the importance of such transparent public health messaging.
Griffith says there are cultural differences that seem to matter a lot, such as the way other people greet each other or how they wear masks in crowded areas. “The culture of hugging, which markedly increases the risk of transmission, compared to a culture that keeps some distance or doesn’t hug, kiss on the cheek, shake hands . . . All of this is integrated into the measures to save you from the virus. “
Griffith also said his organization is reading correlations between underlying comorbidities. “When you have a population that has a higher proportion of underlying diseases like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, they may be at a much higher risk of coronavirus headaches,” he says. , and suggests that this may be just one of the points that explain the phenomenon.
Griffith says history can also play a role. Countries facing outbreaks like SARS or MERS have created lines of communication between medical experts and policymakers.
But Griffith says epidemiologists like him are still looking to be more informed about the new virus and that as countries prepare for a second or third wave of infections, his team is working intensively with governments to expand more powerful communication and fitness systems that can help people. lives and livelihoods without excessive measures such as lockdowns.