The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus which began in December 2019. It has affected worldwide supply chains and a shortage in the workforce in several countries.[1] As of September 2022, over six million people have died from COVID-19 and there have been over 600 million cases.[2]
Socialist countries have done a far better job than capitalist countries in containing the virus and protecting human life.[3][4]
By country
China
China was the first country in the world to have COVID-19 infections, and the first confirmed cases were in Wuhan in Hubei Province. It shared the genetic sequencing of the virus with the rest of the world on 7 January 2020. In late January, China established lockdowns in Wuhan and nearby areas. It designated 86 hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients and built two new hospitals within two weeks. 16 exhibition halls and sports venues were turned into makeshift hospitals, and 42,600 medics were sent to Hubei from other parts of China. China sent medical supplies to Italy and Iran, the latter of which is sanctioned by the United States.[6]
China sanitizes cities and begins mass testing as soon as a single case is recorded. During lockdowns, businesses are still required to pay their workers. In 2021, only two people died from COVID-19 in mainland China in addition to 64 in Hong Kong and 843 in Kuomintang-occupied Taiwan Province. The United States criticized China's measures as "authoritarian" because they prioritized public health over profit.[7]
In November 2022, China eased controls on COVID-19. There were 59,938 deaths in mainland China between 8 December 2022 and 12 January 2023.[8]
Vaccine donations
China donated 323.3 million vaccines to more than 80 countries. It worked with more than 10 countries on vaccine research and created a vaccine in collaboration with Cuba. In February 2022, it gave 200,000 Sinopharm vaccines each to Guinea and Zimbabwe. In March 2022, it gave 100,000 vaccines to Palestine. It also gave 22 million vaccines to Mexico and 500,000 to Venezuela.[5]
India
The Communist-led Indian state of Kerala implemented contact tracing and isolation procedures within a week of the first COVID-19 case. The government of Kerala delivered free groceries to people's houses during the lockdown.[9]
Laos
As of February 2022, Laos suffered 135,000 infections and 533 deaths from COVID-19. The death rate in Laos is less than 3% of the U.S. death rate.[10]
Sweden
Sweden kept businesses, restaurants, schools, and sports venues open for more than a year after its first COVID-19 case. Infection rates were seven times as bad as Norway and 12 times as bad as Finland and many elderly patients were left to die. Right-wing leaders including Jair Bolsonaro and Elon Musk have praised Sweden's handling of the pandemic.[11]
United States
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States was on January 21, 2020. The first deaths were in Washington in late February 2020.[12] The U.S. government failed to implement measures to contain the virus until March 19.[9] President Donald Trump blamed China for the virus, which encouraged racist violence against Chinese people living in the U.S.[6]
COVID-19 killed 370,777 people in the United States in 2020 and 476,863 in 2021.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ "Pandemic caused perfect storm for supply chain crisis, experts say" (2021-12-23). The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ↑ "COVID-19 Dashboard". Johns Hopkins University. Archived from the original on 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ "Covid-19 and the socialist states". Morning Star.
- ↑ "The misunderstood—and misrepresented—Zero COVID policy in China". WSWS.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Why China’s Vaccine Internationalism Matters" (2021-04-08). Qiao Collective. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Joyce Chediac (2020-03-26). "7 Myths and facts about China and COVID-19" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rosa Astra, Benjamin Zinevich (2022-01-06). "Yes, there really were only two COVID deaths in mainland China in 2021. Here’s how they did it" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ 卫生健康委 (2023-1-14). "国务院联防联控机制权威发布（2023年1月14日）"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "How a Communist-led government in Kerala responded to the COVID-19 pandemic" (2020-07-06). Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ Devin Cole (2022-02-10). "A revolutionary salute to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic" Workers World. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ↑ Chris Giddings (2021-05-03). "Sweden's hands-off coronavirus model has failed" Red Flag. Archived from the original on 2022-10-29. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ↑ Sunil Freeman (2020-06-03). "What do 6 months of COVID-19 pandemic tell us about USA?" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2022-09-11.