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Volume 18
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10.3390/ijerph18168686
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Article

Effective COVID-19 Control: A Comparative Analysis of the Stringency and Timeliness of Government Responses in Asia

by
Shu Chen
1,2,*,
Lei Guo
3,
Taghred Alghaith
4,
Di Dong
5,
Mohammed Alluhidan
4,6,
Mariam M. Hamza
5,
Christopher H. Herbst
5,
Xinqi Zhang
3,
Gabrielle Charis Alano Tagtag
7,
Yi Zhang
5,
Nahar Alazemi
4,
Rana Saber
4,
Reem Alsukait
5 and
Shenglan Tang
3
1
ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
2
School of Risk and Actuarial Studies, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
3
Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
4
General Directorate for National Health Economics and Policy, Saudi Health Council, Riyadh 13315, Saudi Arabia
5
Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank, Washington, DC 20433, USA
6
Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Bailrigg LA1 4YX, UK
7
Yale-NUS College, National University of Singapore, Singapore 138527, Singapore
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8686; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168686
Submission received: 25 June 2021 / Revised: 6 August 2021 / Accepted: 9 August 2021 / Published: 17 August 2021
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Abstract

Aim: Many governments in East and Southeast Asia responded promptly and effectively at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Synthesizing and analyzing these responses is vital for disease control evidence-based policymaking. Methods: An extensive review of COVID-19 control measures was conducted in selected Asian countries and subregions, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Vietnam from 1 January to 30 May 2020. Control measures were categorized into administrative, public health, and health system measures. To evaluate the stringency and timeliness of responses, we developed two indices: the Initial Response Index (IRI) and the Modified Stringency Index (MSI), which builds on the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT). Results: Comprehensive administrative, public health, and health system control measures were implemented at the onset of the outbreak. Despite variations in package components, the stringency of control measures across the study sites increased with the acceleration of the outbreak, with public health control measures implemented the most stringently. Variations in daily average MSI scores are observed, with Mainland China scoring the highest (74.2), followed by Singapore (67.4), Vietnam (66.8), Hong Kong (66.2), South Korea (62.3), Taiwan (52.1), and Japan (50.3). Variations in IRI scores depicting timeliness were higher: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Singapore acted faster (IRI > 50.0), while Japan (42.4) and Mainland China (4.2) followed. Conclusions: Timely setting of stringency of the control measures, especially public health measures, at dynamically high levels is key to optimally controlling outbreaks.
Keywords: COVID-19 control; government response; Asia; stringency; timeliness COVID-19 control; government response; Asia; stringency; timeliness

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chen, S.; Guo, L.; Alghaith, T.; Dong, D.; Alluhidan, M.; Hamza, M.M.; Herbst, C.H.; Zhang, X.; Tagtag, G.C.A.; Zhang, Y.; et al. Effective COVID-19 Control: A Comparative Analysis of the Stringency and Timeliness of Government Responses in Asia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 8686. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168686

AMA Style

Chen S, Guo L, Alghaith T, Dong D, Alluhidan M, Hamza MM, Herbst CH, Zhang X, Tagtag GCA, Zhang Y, et al. Effective COVID-19 Control: A Comparative Analysis of the Stringency and Timeliness of Government Responses in Asia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(16):8686. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168686

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Shu, Lei Guo, Taghred Alghaith, Di Dong, Mohammed Alluhidan, Mariam M. Hamza, Christopher H. Herbst, Xinqi Zhang, Gabrielle Charis Alano Tagtag, Yi Zhang, and et al. 2021. "Effective COVID-19 Control: A Comparative Analysis of the Stringency and Timeliness of Government Responses in Asia" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 16: 8686. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168686

APA Style

Chen, S., Guo, L., Alghaith, T., Dong, D., Alluhidan, M., Hamza, M. M., Herbst, C. H., Zhang, X., Tagtag, G. C. A., Zhang, Y., Alazemi, N., Saber, R., Alsukait, R., & Tang, S. (2021). Effective COVID-19 Control: A Comparative Analysis of the Stringency and Timeliness of Government Responses in Asia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8686. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168686

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