621,000 avoidable U.S. deaths:
New Zealand:
5.00m population
26 Covid deaths total (accurate, as their testing has been excellent)
5.2 deaths/million rate
U.S.:
333m population
623,000 Covid deaths (this is an undercount, due to inadequate testing)
1,871 deaths/million rate (higher, if using the increase in deaths from all causes)
1,732 = 333m X 5.2million = U.S. Covid deaths if we had done what N.Z. did.
621k = 623k - 2k = unnecessary deaths
US and NZ have similar language, culture, history, economic development. If anyone had asked me in 2019, I would have guessed these 2 nations doing equally well in a pandemic. So, why the shocking difference in outcomes?
NZ has a Prime Minister who followed the advice of scientists and doctors. She spoke daily to the nation, with a clear, consistent, honest message. People trusted her, because she earned their trust. Conservatives and liberals united in the crisis. In NZ, masks and vaccines are medical, not political, issues. People in NZ understand, you sometimes have to give up a bit of personal choice, for the common good. Acting otherwise, is considered selfish and irrational.
The U.S. failed, and continues to fail, in all the things NZ is doing so well. 621,000 and counting.
How NZ succeeded:
theguardian.com
politico.com
New Zealand's leadership has won the credit for the life-preserving success of this approach, and they deserve it. As an outsider now working inside this system, though, I believe that there is something to the culture here that has also played a significant role in that success. New Zealand's academic, political, and scientific institutions all emphasize communication, empathy, and cooperation. medpagetoday.com
All data from worldometer worldometers.info
Calculations are mine. |
