I hope you’ve heard the story on National Public Radio on July 15. Its title was, “A COVID-19 Success Story in Rwanda: Free Testing, Robot Caregivers.”
It relates how Rwanda, an African country with an annual per capita income of about $2,000, has contained the COVID-19 virus. With a population of 12 million, Rwanda has recorded 1,200 cases since mid-March. The U.S. has more than 140,000 deaths as of July 21. Consider the deaths per million population: Rwanda’s rate is 0.4 and ours is 433.
How did this low-income country accomplish this? Early, stringent and enforced lockdown. Lots of easily available free testing and contact tracing. When an individual tests positive, he is immediately quarantined at a dedicated COVID-19 clinic. High-risk contacts are also quarantined.
First, contact tracers are out of force and call or visit any potential positive case contact. All tests and care for the virus are free of charge.
So when our leaders say, “What more could we have done?” “They should be seeking for a solution from Rwanda.
Then, Donald J. Trump resorted to denial, then misinformation, and eventually, to the blame of others. He disappointed all of us.
