Handling Covid-19 – Comparing Germany and the U.S.

Ever since the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic in March, the rate of infection has increased at a startling rate. To this end, there have been more than 2.7 million cases recorded globally as of April 22nd, while in excess of 192,000 fatalities have also been reported.

While the outbreak may have affected almost every nation on the planet, however, each country has pursued its own unique way of managing the pandemic and minimizing the number of cases recorded.

We’ll explore the respective processes of Germany and the U.S. below while appraising which nation has been the most successful in both combatting coronavirus and optimizing real-time socio-economic conditions.

Germany v the U.S. – Handling COVID-19

There’s no doubt that dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak is a delicate balancing act, as governments (particularly in developed economies) are constantly striving to safeguard the health of citizens, ensure that they have adequate access to healthcare, and maintain at least level of viable economic performance.

When comparing Germany and North America’s COVID-19 approach, a quick glance at the figures would suggest that the former have been far more effective at minimizing the impact of coronavirus.

Germany has reported more than 153,00 cases and 5,575 deaths to date, for example, while the U.S. has seen a staggering 886,000 cases and in excess of 50,000 fatalities over the course of the last four or five weeks.

The truth is not quite as simple; of course, as the U.S. is much larger and has a slightly denser population, but these numbers can also be partially explained by the proactive response of the Germans and their ability to get ahead of the curve.

For example, Germany was quick to restrict international travel and ultimately close its borders to all visitors from the EU and outside the single bloc. It also placed a tremendous emphasis on testing and can currently test up to 500,000 patients a week nationwide, while it has the capacity to increase this further in the near-term.

Conversely, the U.S. has only recently equipped itself for large scale testing, with the state of New York finally ready to carry out antibody tests on patients and those you may also be asymptomatic.

Even in terms of border closures, the U.S. were slow to take action, although the Trump administration has finally imposed a comprehensive 60-day travel ban and extended its existing restrictions for a further month.

Keeping the Supply Chain Moving – Learning Lessons from Germany

Germany has also blazed a trail for others to follow in terms of maintaining crucial supply lines, with the nation’s shipment of crucial cleaning and healthcare chemicals offering a relevant case in point.

This makes sense, of course, as Germany is Europe’s largest producer of chemicals and ships huge volumes of material on behalf of popular suppliers such as RS Components.

In fairness, it may be argued that Germany had a head-start on its rivals in this respect, as the nation has already embraced Industry 4.0 and automation as a way of enhancing its chemical supply chain and the flow of goods nationwide.

More specifically, this means that the Germans already have intuitive smart components that can monitor the flow and status of chemical agents in real-time, and this has been worth its weight in gold during the pandemic.

This is not a lesson that can be learned or implemented in a matter of days, of course, but it is something that countries like the U.S. and the UK should take on-board in the future.

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