THE worldwide campaign to contain and beat back the Covid-19 pandemic has achieved mixed results in different countries. China seems to have gained the upper hand in stopping the spread of coronavirus.

South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan have also attained varying degrees of success in controlling the outbreak owing to their earlier experience in dealing with the SARS epidemic.

Other countries, however, have not fared well. The US administration seems to believe it only needs to slow down the spread of the virus instead of taking drastic steps needed to stop it completely.

In the world’s least developed countries, almost one billion people risk getting infected and hundreds of millions of people have already lost their jobs or means of livelihood. In every such country lockdowns are causing severe disruptions and near economic meltdown. The governments of these countries need to be extra cautious.

The global community must help these countries by providing personal protective equipment and technology for frontline workers and ensuring an uninterrupted supply of essential medicines.

Unity of purpose is the need of the hour to stop this pandemic and ensure the poorer countries don’t suffer more because of their lack of wealth.

Abdul Khalique Jalbani
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2020