While the world struggled to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak which evolved into a pandemic, some countries stood out from the rest with their response to the virus that led to low infections and the number of deaths.
Countries such as Australia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have been praised due to their clear messaging, effective contact tracing methods, quick response, and effective testing strategies. The said practices have helped said countries prevent a massive outbreak of the disease, CNN reported.
However, the same countries who have been celebrated for their response are now witnessing a resurgence in cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The sudden surge in the wave of cases in these countries which were initially considered as model countries has served as a warning that COVID-19 is a much tougher foe to defeat.
Australia
It was only a few months ago when Australia has been lauded internationally for its approach to the COVID-19 response.
In the early stages of the pandemic, Australia quickly shit of its borders for travelers and foreign visitors from China, the country where the disease first emerged. When the virus was able to penetrate its borders, Australia imposed strict protocols in order to curb the spread of the virus.
Early in May, the country's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already announced their plans to re-open their borders and their economy as the cases started to subside.
However, just recently Australia saw a sudden spike in the number of cases in Victoria. The Australian state recorded a single-day count of 671 cases just this Saturday, which prompted the declaration of a "state of emergency" by state premier Daniel Andrews.
Vietnam
After only three weeks of lockdown, Vietnam has already decided to lift the social distancing measures imposed on its 97 million residents back in April.
Vietnam is one of the countries in the world that was able to control the spread of the virus through its aggressive strategies such as screening passengers in airports and imposing strict monitoring and quarantine measure.
The country also began its preparations for the outbreak weeks before it has recorded its first COVID-19 case. Vietnam was also one of the first few countries outside China to implement a large-scale lockdown, back in February.
However, after almost three months of not recording any COVID-19 case, last week, the cases in the country began to surge and it has reported its first death. At the moment there are already six deaths and a total of 642 confirmed cases in Vietnam based on the data from Johns Hopkins University.
Philippines
Earlier this year, the Philippines was praised by the World Health Organization for being able to control the spread of the virus, MSN reported.
Several parts of the archipelago were placed under community quarantines in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. Economic activity was halted save for some essential needs. Provinces in the country also imposed travel restrictions.
However, as the months passed and restrictions have been lifted, the number of cases in the country started to shoot up. Most of the reported cases in the country were imported into the provinces by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), and Locally Stranded Individuals who returned home.
At the moment, the countries capital has already re-imposed a "Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine," after healthcare workers pleaded the government to do so in order to regroup and plan effective ways to stop the continued spread of the virus.
The coronavirus pandemic has taught the world several things. With the surge of cases in countries that initially handled the outbreak well, it has opened the eyes of the world that as we begin to lower our defenses, the virus may find another opportunity to attack.
