Strategies by national health systems in the northern hemisphere during first wave of COVID-19: evaluation and the way forward

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of strategies adopted by national health systems across the globe in different 'geographical regions' in the Northern Hemisphere to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Data is included since the first case was reported in November 2019 till mid-April 2020. Sources of information are COVID-19 case repositories, official country websites, university research teams' perspectives, official briefings, and available published research articles to date. We triangulated all data to formulate a comprehensive illustration of COVID-19 situation in each country included. It has been found that the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak experienced in China, Taiwan, and South Korea saw better strategies adopted by leadership to combat COVID-19 pandemic containment as compared to Iran, Italy, and the United States of America. Saudi Arabia has so far been successful in the implementation of containment strategies as there is no large outbreak in major cities or confined areas as prisons. The situation has yet to unfold in India and Pakistan, which exhibit their own weaknesses in policy formulation or implementation in response to health crises. This review provides conclusive evidence that timely travel bans, early detection of COVID-19 spread through exhaustive and reliable testing, and the establishment of a central, fully authorized body to foresee health trends and implement appropriate containment measures are essential to contain the spread of the virus.