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Okay, if they actually got the virus that early, then these countries are the answer to my question. However... at least for Taiwan that doesn't feel like it a

Okay, if they actually got the virus that early, then these countries are the answer to my question. However... at least for Taiwan that doesn't feel like it adds up: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/taiwan https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/taiwan They've had fewer than 1700 cases, and that's including a recent massive outbreak. They peaked on March 26th 7-day average with 21 cases a day. Granted, the US took maybe a couple more weeks to ramp up to its first plateau, so maybe if it was caught here a few weeks earlier it would have made all the difference. But it feels a lot more like Taiwan just didn't have a lot of travel to and from Wuhan?

eob 5y ago
Taiwan resident here. Just wanted to include that “massive outbreak” so far means a few hundred cases nationally. That’s bad, it might get a lot worse, and we’re all nervous — but just wanted to add the context because “massive” can mean a lot of things with orders of magnitude difference.
- orblivion 5y ago
  Yep, I only meant that relative to how you've been doing. Obviously y'all are still doing fantastic compared to others. Best of luck. BTW is there a vaccination drive over there? That's got to calm things down somewhat right?
PeterisP 5y ago
Rapid and strict incoming travel restrictions were a key part of "taking it seriously from the very start" with a big impact on future outcome. There are all kinds of effective measures (e.g. contact tracing, quarantining of unconfirmed suspect cases) that work when you have 20 cases a day and don't work when you have 2000 cases a day, so going all-in while you still have just a few cases works, because by the time you have many cases, it's too late.
Panino 5y ago
If you travel to Taiwan, even as a Taiwanese citizen, you must stay in an official quarantine hotel for 14 days. You are not asked to do this - you are taken to the hotel by an official quarantine taxi driver and there are records of all this. You are not allowed to leave the hotel for any reason - food is delivered to your door 3x per day, and you can ask for certain things. My sister in law did this. That is just one of over 100 strategies employed by Taiwan to reduce virus spread. The current Vice President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, has a Master's degree in Public Health from Harvard. The previous VP, Chen Chien-jen, has a Master's degree in Public Health from National Taiwan University. Taiwan takes public health seriously, especially after the original SARS experience. Nobody in Taiwan thinks the virus is a "scam" or that masks are a "tool of oppression." Even before the pandemic masks were totally common. There is complete public buy-in on masks without even having to be asked. Some of my friends work in a clinic in Taipei so I hear updates. I was also in Taiwan last year for a month. The difference in attitude between the US and Taiwan is startling. If the US had acted like Taiwan, instead of acting in a way that was indistinguishable from sabotage, we'd have a lot fewer deaths and would have avoided a recession.
nimbleal 5y ago
Mainland Chinese citizens are not allowed to travel to Taiwan as individual tourists since July 2019. This was interpreted as an attempt to hurt tourism and so the economy at the time. May have been a factor.

eob 5y ago

Taiwan resident here. Just wanted to include that “massive outbreak” so far means a few hundred cases nationally. That’s bad, it might get a lot worse, and we’re all nervous — but just wanted to add the context because “massive” can mean a lot of things with orders of magnitude difference.

orblivion 5y ago
Yep, I only meant that relative to how you've been doing. Obviously y'all are still doing fantastic compared to others. Best of luck. BTW is there a vaccination drive over there? That's got to calm things down somewhat right?

PeterisP 5y ago

Rapid and strict incoming travel restrictions were a key part of "taking it seriously from the very start" with a big impact on future outcome. There are all kinds of effective measures (e.g. contact tracing, quarantining of unconfirmed suspect cases) that work when you have 20 cases a day and don't work when you have 2000 cases a day, so going all-in while you still have just a few cases works, because by the time you have many cases, it's too late.

Panino 5y ago

If you travel to Taiwan, even as a Taiwanese citizen, you must stay in an official quarantine hotel for 14 days. You are not asked to do this - you are taken to the hotel by an official quarantine taxi driver and there are records of all this. You are not allowed to leave the hotel for any reason - food is delivered to your door 3x per day, and you can ask for certain things. My sister in law did this. That is just one of over 100 strategies employed by Taiwan to reduce virus spread. The current Vice President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, has a Master's degree in Public Health from Harvard. The previous VP, Chen Chien-jen, has a Master's degree in Public Health from National Taiwan University. Taiwan takes public health seriously, especially after the original SARS experience. Nobody in Taiwan thinks the virus is a "scam" or that masks are a "tool of oppression." Even before the pandemic masks were totally common. There is complete public buy-in on masks without even having to be asked. Some of my friends work in a clinic in Taipei so I hear updates. I was also in Taiwan last year for a month. The difference in attitude between the US and Taiwan is startling. If the US had acted like Taiwan, instead of acting in a way that was indistinguishable from sabotage, we'd have a lot fewer deaths and would have avoided a recession.

nimbleal 5y ago

Mainland Chinese citizens are not allowed to travel to Taiwan as individual tourists since July 2019. This was interpreted as an attempt to hurt tourism and so the economy at the time. May have been a factor.