Show us how you beat bug, Trump asks S. Korea

DONALD Trump yesterday asked for help to beat coronavirus from Seoul as South Korea leads the way in bringing the outbreak under control.

The ‘aggressive’, yet simple, South Korean system of mass testing, quarantining victims and tracing anyone who comes into contact with carriers has been credited with averting a crisis within its borders.

It has also shown that it is possible to contain the virus without closing down the economy, as the UK and other countries have done. The effectiveness of its programme has led many to question whether other nations – including Britain – were too slow to act.

The US yesterday became the latest country to contact the east Asian country about its measures. France and Sweden have also requested information.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in revealed medical equipment and supplies including testing kits were being sent to the US after President Trump asked in a phone call for help with its outbreak.

Chemical agents that identify genetic material during Covid-19 tests are now being sent to America.

Scott Gottlieb, formerly of the US Food and Drug Administration, warned the delay in enacting a similar programme meant others had ‘probably lost the chance to have an outcome like South Korea’.

South Korea, which has a population of 50million, has tested around 358,000 people, with 9,137 infections as of yesterday and 126 deaths.

Some 909 cases were identified in a single day at its peak on February 29 but just a week later that number had halved and continued to decline in the days after. On Sunday just 64 cases were reported.

The turnaround in South Korea was achieved with what the New York Times described as a four-step programme.

It began with a swift intervention by the state when medical companies were asked to develop test kits for mass

production within a week of the first case being identified in January.

The second phase was widespread testing in the early stages of the epidemic.

Another measure has been forensic tracing of anyone who comes into contact with a carrier. The last element is a cooperative and well-informed public.

Experts say that the difference between South Korea and most other countries is political will, as governments were reluctant to impose harsh crackdowns early on.