[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Obviously both the US and UK fell flat on their faces with their respective responses to this pandemic, so it takes more than preparedness plans. They need to prepare the politicians as well. Poor execution by the executive branches can lay waste to the best made plans, as we have witnessed over the past year.

The US and UK aren't alone in being flat-faced, of the top 20 countries in that survey, only 4 can be said to have met its expectations - Australia, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia. Note: they are members of the WHO West Pacific region, as are some of the countries that exceeded expectations, e.g New Zealand and Vietnam. China is a member of the same region.

Is it possible that the information provided to the NTI survey, presumably by respective bureaucracies, was wilfully or blissfully inaccurate? One assumes the politicians would have been advised by the same bureaucracies.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

As terrible and frustrating as the process was just to try and GET an appointment; kudos to the rural county health department I used for perfecting a mass drive-through vaccination clinic. It was a well-oiled machine. I was back home in an hour, and the trip itself was 20 minutes (one way).

Not a huge clinic by any means, but 300 or so people scheduled with arrival times spread out between 10am and 1pm.

You should be so lucky.

Here's what Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s public emergencies program has said about Australia's response (my emphasis)

“Australia not only flattened that curve, it destroyed that curve and it has kept it at that really low level since,

“That didn’t happen by accident, that didn’t happen because of luck, that happened because the Australian governments [state and federal] applied a comprehensive strategy to suppress this virus, to track contacts, [to trace sources] and test, test, test. They have really shown us all how to use public health to kill a virus.”

You could be forgiven for assuming the same public health capabilities (which lie overwhelmingly within the state & territory health bureaucracies) would be used to implement the national vaccination program. But no, the centre-right federal government has outsourced it to private sector labour hire firms, general practice doctors, and pharmacies.

One of the states had an election yesterday, the incumbent centre-left regime is predicted to win 53 of 59 lower house seats - the biggest majority in any state election ever.