How MIT, Harvard are managing to keep COVID-19 numbers low

In just a few days, Montana’s Jefferson County school district had to adapt to remote teaching in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus, with the governor leaving it up to schools and teachers to figure out how. From using Zoom to teleconference with students, to calling parents regularly, to figuring out if and how to use computers at all, teachers and administrators are learning how to provide structure and learning to kids from afar.

When faced with the coronavirus pandemic, a number of countries around the world "opted for delayed containment strategies," but countries such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, which took the opposite approach, have seen more success with mitigating the spread. The governments in these countries implemented many aggressive initiatives that were aimed at widespread testing, restricted travel, and contact tracing.

Countries such as Ireland are looking to South Korea for lessons about best practices in containing the coronavirus outbreak. Much of South Korea's success, shaped by lessons learned from battling the MERS outbreak in 2003, comes from implementing the national infectious diseases control act that "allows for the government to track people, and for the tracking information to be posted online."

With schools and libraries closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, a librarian in Bay County, Michigan is turning to hosting a virtual storytime. Although this approach lacks some elements of the in-person storytime, it does offer a sense of routine for children during a time that could otherwise be destabilizing.

Although Germany has reported over 50,000 cases of coronavirus, the country is seeing a lesser death toll from the pandemic as compared to other countries. Like other countries working to contain the spread, Germany was quick to enact widespread testing a persistent contact tracing, but the country also implemented early measures to protect the more senior residents which has kept the infection rate low for this highly susceptible population.

To limit exposure during coronavirus testing, South Korea began piloting drive-thru test sites that allow those being tested to remain in their cars. The drive-thru, which sends results to the patient via text message three days later, has tested nearly 400 people in one day, helping to ease pressure oncovi other testing sites.

Health care workers at the University of Washington are now able to get tested for coronavirus via a drive-through. Providing both convenience and safety by limiting exposure of the potentially ill, the test only takes five minutes and those tested usually get their results within a day.

Identifying the metagenomic sequencing for new outbreaks of viruses can help to better assess how the virus is spreading, which in turn helps health officials figure out how to slow down the contagion. In the midst of a coronavirus outbreak, a tool that was first used to during the SARS outbreak is now being used to track Covid-19 in under-resourced places such as Cambodia.

The CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service Program trains individuals how to perform contact tracing in order to help slow the spread of infectious diseases. Success from this strategy has been reported in South Korea regarding the coronavirus, and now the U.S. officers are deploying to find out more about "how contagious it is, how it spreads, the severity of the illness, what groups are most likely to be affected."

Some of the governments that have had the most success in getting a handle on the spread of the coronavirus have used individual location data to conduct contact tracing and track the spread of the virus. However, some in Europe and the United States worry these tools violate privacy rights, even in the midst of a public health crisis.