My perspective on the pandemic derives from the fact that I’m an American physician living and working in China since February of this year. On 29th September 2020, I set out with a friend from Guangzhou to visit Chengdu, Sichuan. We were warned by friends and colleagues that this was a horrible week to travel as we would be part of a Chinese holiday diaspora and we would be overwhelmed by crowds. 637 million Chinese people travelled that week (I think 100 million of them were in Chengdu!). The airport was packed, the trains were packed and we were shoulder to shoulder with other tourists at all the sites we visited. It was beautiful – empowering – and for me another lesson in how to manage a public health crisis. No new clusters were reported as a result of the tourism, there were no public health emergencies. We had a glorious time in Chengdu.
The constant drumbeat of bad news about the COVID-19 pandemic from my country has numbed me. I don’t understand why the USA has not learned from multiple other countries what basic public health measures they could institute to ameliorate the epidemic, save lives, save the economy, but I just try to avoid thinking about it. But for some reason the news from the State of Wisconsin this week overcame my ennui and inspired me to comment. Back in the spring the Governor of Wisconsin Tony Evers, issued a stay at home mandate. Republican opponents went to court and had it overturned. On October 16th, 4,039 new cases were reported in the state, there were 19 deaths representing a 25% and 59% increase respectively over the preceding 14 days. Despite these appalling numbers opponents of public health measures continue efforts in the courts to overturn the governors mask mandate and orders limiting crowds and occupancy in bars and restaurants.
By contrast, Qingdao City, China was in our news this week. There was an “outbreak” there. Two dock workers, likely not community transmission, followed by some hospital transmission for a total of 13 cases. The population of Wisconsin is about 5.86 million. The population of Qingdao is about 9.4 million with another 1.5 million non-residents in the city. The response of the Ministry of Health in Qingdao was contact tracing, to test the entire city (yes, 10 million tests in 5 days!) and restrict some local activity. Those measures produced no protests – In China there is a feeling that compliance is a matter of patriotism and family values. The basic economic and social fabric of the city was not seriously disrupted and there are no more cases.
I recognize that my title is wrong, Wisconsin is a Province not a City, but there are fewer people there than in Qingdao – measures applied there could be applied in Wisconsin. The original 'lock down' in the late winter early spring that the citizens of Qingdao tolerated could have been tolerated by my countrymen.
More concern about the human toll and less about the economic toll would have led to a better human and economic outcome.
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