The Female Masterminds Behind the Best COVID - 19 Mitigation Efforts in the World

A celebration of female leaders around the world and their efforts to mitigate the COVID – 19 pandemic

I often joke about rowing a boat to New Zealand. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’m really only half kidding. I say this mostly because New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has led one of the most admired and effective COVID – 19 mitigation efforts in the world. The country is thriving thanks to her leadership, intelligence, and dedication to science. New Zealand is not the only country that has fared well in its efforts to mitigate COVID – 19. A common thread between some of the best coronavirus management plans in the world? Female leaders. The female masterminds behind the mitigation efforts in Germany, Taiwan, Iceland, and Singapore have led particularly notable COVID – 19 emergency response plans.

Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen – Because of Taiwan’s proximity to Wuhan, China, the origin of coronavirus disease, Taiwan’s geographical location could have set the country up for disaster. Situated in the East China Sea, Taiwan lies a mere 110 miles from China’s shores. Thanks to Tsai Ing-wen and her brilliant coronavirus response plan, the country continues to fare extremely well. Taiwan’s current population is about 23.78 million people. As of November 13th, 2020, the country has had only seven deaths due to COVID - 19. What? Let me say that again. SEVEN DEATHS. On February 28th, 2020, Ing-wen’s extensive emergency response plan was strategically written and put into action. Her plan included extensive epidemiological surveillance, mandated border quarantines, inventory tracking of essential medical supplies, increased risk communication, and testing, testing, testing. Free testing. Contact tracing. Masks for everyone. Widespread communication. The enforcement of social distancing regulations. A round of applause for the woman that will go the distance to keep her citizens safe.

Population: 23.78 million

COVID deaths: 7

Germany, Angela Merkel – It’s hard to prepare for a pandemic. However, if there ever was a way, Angela Merkel, German chancellor, did just that. By maintaining a top-of-the-line universal healthcare system before COVID – 19 reared its ugly head, Germany was already at an advantage. Multiple other key decisions factored into Merkel’s COVID – 19 response. According to Michael Laxy, a health economics researcher at the Helmholtz Center in Munich, Germany took advantage of the “head start” on the pandemic after watching events unfold in countries such as Italy. Instead of hesitating, Merkel quickly put social distancing measures into place. She made the political decision to make testing a high priority for the country. Most importantly, she set an example through her leadership and her country followed suit. As the World Economic Forum reports, Merkel did not downplay the potential impact of COVID – 19. She prepared her country for a struggle. She did not exaggerate the success of mitigation efforts, and she did not use war-like terms to compare their current position to a battle. As of October, Germany is still faring well. They have significantly less deaths per capita in comparison to other European countries, and, according to the Pew Research Foundation, 88% of Germans say that the country has done well in their mitigation efforts of the COVID – 19 pandemic.

Population: 82 million

COVID deaths: 12,404

Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir - Svandís Svavarsdóttir, the Minister of Health in Iceland, does not speak of drastic measures or extreme feats when she talks about the country’s response to the COVID - 19 pandemic. Instead, she talks about methods based on, “science and the best available information at any given time” and transparent communication between Icelandic authorities and citizens. Katrín Jakobsdóttir’s knew she was asking a lot when she mandated quarantine and advised regular testing within the country. To promote the effectiveness of these measures, Jakobsdóttir’s emergency-response plan revolved around frequent and transparent communication between Icelandic authorities and the citizens of Iceland. Beginning when the first cases of COVID – 19 began to spread around the globe, a team of health officials updated the country daily on the status of COVID – 19 (in a truthful and transparent manner, I might add). These updates continued daily until late May. Like many others, critical elements of Jakobsdóttir’s plan also included extensive testing and contact tracing within the country.

Population: 356,991

COVID deaths: 25

Singapore, Halimah Yacob – COVID – 19 was not Singapore’s first intimate brush with the crown-shaped virus. In 2002, Singapore was hit by the SARS-CoV outbreak. After experiencing its effects, Singapore decided to take preventative measures. Singapore’s administration established over 800 Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPC’s) around the country to prepare for another public health emergency like SARS-CoV. These rapid response clinics were stocked with proper protective equipment, medications, and health professionals all trained to manage viral infections. These clinics have since served as a bridge between communities and hospitals: all patients with flu-like symptoms are first evaluated at these clinics. High risk patients are then transferred to specific hospitals for cases of infectious disease. These clinics proved to be critical in the mitigation of COVID – 19.

When the first cases of COVID – 19 began to emerge, Halimah Yacob was prepared with an extensive response. Like Taiwan, Singapore was at risk of detrimental spread because of its geographic location. The World Health Organization reports that about 3.4 million people travel between Singapore and Wuhan, China annually. To prevent COVID – 19 from entering the country, Yacob mandated temperature checks at every entrance into Singapore. These temperature checks quickly became mandated at the community level as well. Masks were distributed to each household. Yacob prioritized extensive testing. From the beginning, contact tracing was also a pillar of Singapore’s successful response. Cutting-edge technology quickly emerged to make the process easier – TraceTogether and SafeEntry.These apps make it easy to tell who’s been in contact with a positive case and for how long.

Population: 5.64 million

Singapore: 28 deaths

There’s no denying that female leaders around the globe have handled COVID – 19 spectacularly well, especially in comparison to other countries such as the United States. However, simply identifying as a female does not automatically grant one the miraculous power to manage any crisis. Instead, these leaders stand out because they choose to proactively put their people first. These women prepare for public health catastrophes by maintaining top-of-the-line infrastructure and health systems, communicating transparently with their people when crises do occur, and exercising humble attitudes when they are asked to listen and learn from others. No one’s perfect. However, certain male leaders, specifically a particularly obnoxious orange-colored one, could benefit from sitting down and taking a few notes on the mitigation efforts of these amazing ladies.

image source:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/25/why-do-female-leaders-seem-to-be-more-successful-at-managing-the-coronavirus-crisis