The World Health Organization just declared COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus, a global pandemic, warning, “There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives.” So far, Johns Hopkins University estimates that there are at least 1,050 cases in America, and that number is expected to grow. Meanwhile, South Korea has had 7,755 cases and yet has done a good job of handling the outbreak. How has Seoul been able to slow down the number of new cases?
South Korea is a model to follow if countries want to avoid long-term locking down millions of people with the police and military, as China and Italy have done. To be fair, South Korea may still impose stricter quarantine measures as they run out of hospital beds in some areas. Yet, despite these huge problems, South Korea has been a relative success story by focusing on hot spots and asking people to remain at home voluntarily and avoid travel and large gatherings. In addition, anyone tested positive for COVID-19 who breaks quarantine will run afoul of South Korean law.
These (mostly) voluntary social distancing measures have limited the spread of COVID-19, saving lives and largely preserving the democratic nature of the country. Further measures include quick and widespread testing, centralized and transparent test results, and a constant flow of crucial and clear public information. These are vital tools because it could take a year to get a vaccine that works and is fully distributed around the globe.
Testing matters because, unless you know who’s infected, you can’t get them medical help or have them quarantine. Moreover, it also makes it harder to track down whoever they’ve interacted with who might also be infected and could spread COVID-19. Quick and mass testing is also necessary because often symptoms are mild and go unnoticed, especially for younger people. South Korea has tested over 200,000 people, an astounding number. In fact, Seoul is able to conduct between 10,000 and 20,000 tests every day. Additionally, they have 10-minute drive-through testing stations, and South Koreans get a text in the next 24 hours with the results.
Unfortunately, the United States is behind.
America was slow on developing a test, and severe shortages persist. This prevents the kind of easy, rapid, and mass testing needed to catch hot spots and mild (but transmittable) cases. In the U.S., only 4,384 people have been tested. This is because of three reasons.
First, many of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention test kits were actually not working correctly. Second, the criteria for testing is very narrow, so multiple cases went undiagnosed until much later. Third, until recently, the government wasn’t allowing other labs or private companies to make or use their own kits, resulting in fewer tests. One positive note, though, is that, although it is still hard to get kits where they are needed, according to the American Enterprise Institute, capacity is increasing and just reached 16,530 tests a day.
Meanwhile, another problem is that there is no official, unified test data set on how many people have been tested or what the results are. Different organizations have their own records, and local and state governments do not even always keep track themselves. For instance, only 938 cases have been reported to the CDC. Compare those numbers to Johns Hopkins’s estimate of 1,050 cases and the 985 cases tallied by the COVID-19 Tracking Project, two private endeavors trying to record every test, since no one else appears to be doing it.
Without this important information, it will be harder for authorities and charities to coordinate responses or decide when to announce social distancing measures. Meanwhile, the Korean CDC has complete online data that is updated daily at midnight. The U.S.’s CDC is updating its site every weekday at noon, but this is still insufficient.
Korea also constantly advises their people regarding ongoing containment and mitigation efforts, with national and local authorities holding daily briefings, posting information online, and even texting citizens about policy changes and what places to avoid. This kind of clear and transparent messaging, in addition to data and testing, gives people confidence that COVID-19 can be defeated. It also helps to counter stupid rumors or deliberate misinformation. As a result of all of this, people are more likely to follow social distancing recommendations and know what is going on. That also means fewer draconian measures and less panic.
Bad or unclear messaging is a problem that America needs to resolve. In Italy, the lockdown has already caused confusion among some citizens over what to expect and what to do. Here in the U.S., there are already plenty of examples of sick people not knowing where to go and of healthcare providers uncertain of how to use scarce resources such as testing kits. Local, state, and federal leadership of both parties need to do a much better job of communicating what is happening and what people should do. If they can’t get it right, they need to have someone else take the lead on public announcements. Finally, if folks cannot locate announcements and recommendations easily online or are unaware of local press briefings, there is a huge problem.
South Korea learned its lessons the hard way over the past years with outbreaks of SARS and MERS. Now, America can learn from its own experience and from South Korea as COVID-19 spreads. The overall global death rate from COVID-19 is about 3%-4%, but Seoul has managed to bring that down to 0.7%. With the lives of the elderly and the most medically vulnerable on the line, that is something all of us should aspire to.
John Dale Grover is an assistant managing editor at The National Interest and a Korean studies fellow at the Center for the National Interest.
