[Goose]

Germany is a good example of how to handle the pandemic, having had a robust testing regimen early and being quick to shut down as case counts rose.


BC

I totally agree that Germany did a good job of handling the pandemic as it was presented to them. They did a lot of things right. However, we also have to take them at their word. Several different German experts have stated that Germany was "lucky". They got hit in Bavaria and then had a breathing spell in which they had few cases. This gave them time to get ready. Furthermore, when they did start getting hit harder by the virus they saw many more cases in the younger patients than Italy and Spain did. That kept their death rate down.
However, for those of us who think the US did a less-than-adequate job of responding to the epidemic, we should remember Seneca's quote “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” . Germany took advantage of their breathing space and got ready. It wasn't an absolutely smooth process. There were arguments among the experts. Testing wasn't what they wanted it to be initially. Then the politicians had a few moments of not immediately agreeing with each other. But they resolved those things rapidly and without creating such a political uproar things couldn't function. The made the most of their opportunities. The USA certainly did not.

[Goose]

Germany is a good example of how to handle the pandemic, having had a robust testing regimen early and being quick to shut down as case counts rose.


BC

I totally agree that Germany did a good job of handling the pandemic as it was presented to them. They did a lot of things right. However, we also have to take them at their word. Several different German experts have stated that Germany was "lucky". They got hit in Bavaria and then had a breathing spell in which they had few cases. This gave them time to get ready. Furthermore, when they did start getting hit harder by the virus they saw many more cases in the younger patients than Italy and Spain did. That kept their death rate down.
However, for those of us who think the US did a less-than-adequate job of responding to the epidemic, we should remember Seneca's quote “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” . Germany took advantage of their breathing space and got ready. It wasn't an absolutely smooth process. There were arguments among the experts. Testing wasn't what they wanted it to be initially. Then the politicians had a few moments of not immediately agreeing with each other. But they resolved those things rapidly and without creating such a political uproar things couldn't function. The made the most of their opportunities. The USA certainly did not.