The COVID-19 pandemic has affected at least 188 countries across the world barring a handful. Having robust health services became critical, although contact tracing, lockdown measures, and timely treatment were some of the common strategies adopted.
Verdict has conducted a poll to assess which countries have the best-prepared health services to handle the COVID-19 outbreak.
Analysis of the results shows that South Korea was considered as the country with the best-prepared health services, followed by Germany and China.
A majority 29% of the respondents opined that South Korea has the best-prepared health services, while 20% believed that Germany was best prepared, followed by 19% who considered China to be best prepared.
Japan and the US have the best-prepared health services as opined by 10% of the respondents, while 7% believed the UK was best prepared. A minority 3% of the respondents felt Italy was best prepared, while another 1% each felt France and Spain were best prepared.
The analysis is based on 5,871 responses received between 30 April and 18 May.
How prepared are countries to deal with the health situation caused by COVID-19
At the beginning of the outbreak, South Korea had some of the highest cases of COVID-19, due to a community outbreak at a Church. The country, however, responded swiftly by contact tracing, early and mass testing, and ensuring communication and transparency.
Germany was also one of the countries to have responded effectively to the pandemic. Early and aggressive testing, well-equipped ICUs, and a strong digital health infrastructure helped the country control the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the most common measures adopted by the countries that have been successful in curbing the COVID-19 spread has been communicating early to the general public the seriousness of the disease. Fast responses and enactment of precautionary measures in the initial stages of the outbreak helped countries such as New Zealand to curb the disease spread.
