"The centrally planned public health infrastructure is well trained," Stranges said. The Western laggards(CBC News)Wealthy European and North American countries had plenty of time to prepare for the pandemic, but many failed, Stranges said. "Open borders should have made their pandemic management much harder, or the need greater for far more intense restrictions," Furness said. But Western countries had another shortcoming: their health systems are hospital-centred, and many had gutted public health programs. The developing hot spots(CBC News)The pandemic hit many developing countries especially hard, and they presently report the fastest-growing infection numbers in the world.

Source: CBC News June 22, 2020 08:00 UTC