Culture Shock: Why New Zealand's Response to COVID-19 Worked — A first-hand account from a doctor from the U.S. who lives in New Zealand

[Emily]

https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/working-stiff/89867

Culture Shock: Why New Zealand's Response to COVID-19 Worked

— A first-hand account from a doctor from the U.S. who lives in New Zealand


by Judy Melinek MD November 24, 2020
...
The collaborative element of Kiwi culture doesn't stay locked behind the schoolhouse doors, either. A few weeks ago, I attended a meeting of New Zealand laboratory professionals and got a first-hand view into why their COVID-19 response has been so successful. At the very start of the outbreak, their national government invested a huge amount of money in a "go hard, go early" strategy to combat the spread of the virus.
...
The hard-and-early New Zealand strategy was able to work as effectively as it did only because government administrative managers asked public health scientists what they needed, and then supplied and funded it. Then they let the scientists make their own schedules and policies to distribute the resources they had -- personnel, medication, personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory supplies, everything -- in an ethical and equitable way. Doctors who participated in this plan of attack told me that nobody they knew had suffered burnout, even at the height of the pandemic. Everybody was invested in the process, and communication flowed from the top to the bottom and right back up...

 

[sharon sanders]

In my opinion after talking to Sally many times about her experience in New Zealand, the main driver of the success was the ability to lock down the country early on. New Zealand is an isolated island nation of 5 million and is not comparable to the United States. They were able to quickly cut off visitors and implement a temporary total domestic lockdown.

In addition, they provide a luxury quality 14 day quarantine experience to returning New Zealand citizens which I do not think any other country does.

 

[Emily]

They do have an advantage in size and geography, but years ago I saw NZ held up as a go-to place during times of global unrest. The way they handled their earthquakes was what impressed people. I think it may be very expensive to live there now because of affluent people buying safe havens there. I thought about the fact that if we ever have a nuclear exchange, its more likely to be in the northern hemisphere so the fallout situation would be better there, too.

We have a couple of nice quarantine centers in the US, though. That Seabeck location tempted me!

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news...ss/5083637002/

https://www.seabeck.org/gallery
http://pilgrim-firs.org/facilities