How France Overcame Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Germany has emerged during the coronavirus pandemic as a country that has successfully been able to avoid the worst-case scenario, unlike many other countries still battling the virus. Although the country hasn't escaped unscathed, the country's accessible and reliable health care system and a public trust in government officials both helped form the country's successful response to the outbreak.

New York's success in eventually controlling the spread of coronavirus can be attributed to a few key factors. Unlike Massachusetts, which experienced fluctuating COVID-19 infections on its way to recovery, New York has had a steady decline. Strict social distancing guidelines and tough enforcement of businesses that did not adhere to the rules, proved effective in keeping infection rates low. NY also banned indoor dining which was allowed as early as June in MA.

In Montana, a group of professionals were brought together to collaborate on the pandemic recovery effort underway in Bozeman, with the economic development director at the helm. Known as the Bozeman Economic Recovery and Resiliency Team, the group is comprised of 25 members including business leaders, local and state government officials, education leadership, and representatives from tourism and childcare industries, among others. The group was formed at the outset of the pandemic to efficiently communicate constantly-shifting information, ascertain needs, and manage local recovery efforts.

The Netherlands approach of balancing the potential for future economic hardship with the current risk of Covid-19 spreading has appeared to have helped the country to flatten the curve of cases faster than other areas that implemented mandatory lockdown measures. Although critics of this "controlled distribution" approach point out that the country has still seen thousands of deaths and could see future waves of outbreaks, at this point in time, "the Netherlands has both flattened the curve and kept life tolerable."

During the onset of the pandemic, countries around the world took a variety of different measures to protect its citizens and economies. While some countries continue to be negatively affected by the coronavirus, places like Vietnam, Canada, Croatia, Finland, and New Zealand reacted by taking restrictive measures from the start and have successfully contained the virus. Responses include distributing funds to individuals and businesses on the honors system, closing down everything except grocery stores, hospitals, and pharmacies, as well as rapid implementation of widespread testing.

Although public health experts agree that New York was initially slow to implement protocols to protect citizens from COVID-19, they also agree that the state was able to gain control over the virus due to the actions the governor and the public eventually took. Protocols that have proved successful for the state include a mask mandate, a stay-at-home order and a delay in reopeneing businesses despite a decrease in cases.

The Japanese government is embracing the idea of "workation" trips for employees across industries as a means to "help the travel industry and keep the economy ticking" as the country moves forward in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Discounts for various travel resources have encouraged 4.2 million people to try out the idea which has been made even more feasible due to the widespread adoption of remote teleworking.

China's economy has slowly begun to show signs of reopening and recovering, which has led some companies to begin fundraising. Consumer brands that saw an uptick in usage during the pandemic – such as an online grocery delivery startup, an online education tutor, and even an online makeup retailer – have so far been successful in their efforts to raise funds with investors saying that "in the current climate of uncertainty, they were more comfortable betting on the companies that are leading their industries."

When a smallpox outbreak was deemed to be a likelihood in New York City in 1947, the city’s health commissioner rapidly launched a vaccination campaign that leveraged internal collaboration, consistent and transparent communication, and contact tracing. The effort culminated in more than six million people receiving vaccination in under a month, and only 12 infections and two deaths total. While this "public health triumph" hold lessons for the current COVID-19 pandemic, experts caution, “It’s almost inconceivable that we’re going to be able to do something similar as rapidly and as effectively.”

When a hospital refrigerator that was housing 850 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine stopped working, local health officials in Mendocino County, California worked together to quickly devise a distribution plan. Through strategic outreach and localized pop-up distribution sites, the health officials were able to successfully distribute all of the vaccines to individuals before they expired.