Countries with zero Covid-19 cases

[Ellener]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52120439

Comoros; Kiribati; Lesotho; Marshall Islands; Micronesia; Nauru; North Korea; Palau; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Solomon Islands; South Sudan; Tajikistan; Tonga; Turkmenistan; Tuvalu; Vanuatu, Yemen. Seven of them are in the top ten 'world's least visited places' but even with such remoteness islands have prevention measures in place eg in Nauru-

'You may think such a distant place would not need to distance itself further. But a country with one hospital, no ventilators, and a shortage of nurses, cannot take any chances.

On 2 March, travellers were banned from China, South Korea, and Italy. Five days later, Iran was added to the list

In mid-March, Nauru Airlines suspended flights to Fiji, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands, and its only other route – Brisbane – was reduced from three times a week to once a fortnight

After that, all those arriving from Australia (mainly returning residents) were ordered into a 14-day quarantine in local hotels

And, although there have been none recently, any asylum seekers - Australia has a migrant processing centre on the island - will also be quarantined for at least two weeks.

The policy, says President Lionel Aingimea, is called "capture and containment".

"We're keeping things at the border," he says. "We're using our airport as the border and our transit facilities as part of our border."

Those in quarantine are checked for symptoms every day. When some developed fever, they were isolated further and tested for Covid-19. The kits were sent to Australia, but all came back negative.'

 

 

[Foxhall]

what might explain this, although I have no idea of the specific policy in the countries you mention, there are a number of developing world countries who administer the Bcg (tuberculosis) vaccine to all children either at birth or in early childhood,

a study carried out last week is showing that countries who mass administer the bcg vaccine are showing much lower numbers of Covid 19 cases than countries who only administer bcg on a case by case basis,

curiously most of the developed world is now not giving bcg to all children,  they maintain that it is unnecessary since the dangers of TB are not what they used to be in the past.

developing countries however are still at high risk of TB which is why they continue to mass administer,

it will be interesting to see if this old vaccine can now be used as a temporary measure against this coronavirus.

 

[Gaeta]

Interesting

I watched a video on Turkmenistan and they only get 10k tourists a year, it's the 7th less visited country in the world.  80% of the buildings there are made in white marble, wow. 

Tajikistan has an uneven economy, vulnerable, lots of corruptions, I imagine not the on any tourists list. 

Comoros is 620 square miles, you must drive by it not even know it exists. No human rights, 5 years in jail for homosexual relationship. I am gonna make a wild guess, people don't go there. 

I think there is a logic explanation to these covid-free countries. 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Gaeta

[chillii]

No brainer. The less tourists the better , especially if they're already widely using that tb drug, bonus. Tourists and traveling is what spread it in the first place and confined traveling breeding grounds like ships landing all over the place is like spraying any new port with poison and setting it free.

[Ellener]

I haven't enjoyed travelling for years, since the planes got so crowded and seats close together. And rickety- the last but one time I flew the plane returned to the gate three times for repairs and we were hours before taking off, I was starting to think it was best to walk away...The last time I went to Englnd I got a D & V bug and spent most of the flight in a bathroom, very unpleasant.

@Foxhall I did not know that about BCG vaccine, it was a big deal when I was a kid and TB was within close living memory.

[Foxhall]

Yes TB wiped out families in my country back in the 40s and 50s

I still have the scar on my arm from the vaccine, it used to be given to all children,but also has been held back here I think in the last 10 years,

I read somewhere too that the vaccine has never been compulsory in Italy,

and a lot of older Italians have contracted and died from this covid 19,

I think there may definitely be a link.