Why is coronavirus mortality rate lower in some countries?
Singapore and Qatar stand out as two nations that have managed to keep the number of deaths down.
As COVID-19 started to hit the world, many of us were concerned about whether we would be infected. Some said it is as bad as the flu, others predicted worse.
Then, news about health systems being overwhelmed and bodies piling up started to emerge. That gave a bleak picture. But it is not everywhere.
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Mortality rates in Qatar and Singapore are below 0.1 percent – among the world’s lowest.
The Gulf nation’s mortality rate is at 0.07 percent – that is 12 deaths in more than 16,000 cases.
And Singapore’s is 0.093 percent of more than 19,000 infections.
Experts say testing, the availability of hospital beds and population age are three critical factors.
Yet, Singapore’s outbreak is the biggest in Southeast Asia.
And Qatar has the second-highest number of cases in the Arab world, although the curve is flattening.
So, what’s exactly behind that?
Presenter: Peter Dobbie
Guests:
Dr Ali Omrani – Senior consultant in infectious diseases and head of research at Communicable Diseases Center at the Hamad Medical Corporation
Dr Annie Sparrow – Professor of population health science and policy at Mount Sinai Hospital
Archie Clements – Professor of infectious diseases at Curtin University, Perth
Published On 6 May 2020