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The pandemic left disorder and crises in its wake everywhere it struck. Drawing on disciplines including public health, politics, and socioeconomics, this book tracks the spread of COVID-19 to weave a coherent picture that explains how scientists learnt about the virus, how authorities reacted around the world, and how different societies coped.
Written by a leading team of public health, policy, and economics experts, this volume provides an in-depth analysis of various countries’ responses to the onset of the pandemic, as well as suggestions to increase capacity and capability to fight future pandemics. The first part of the book provides an overview of global governance and international cooperation, economic and social consequences of the outbreak, and breakthroughs in mathematical modelling and COVID-19 vaccines. The second part of the book examines and compares specific countries and regions through the lens of good governance, social contract, and political trust.
This book is essential for anyone seeking to learn from the impact of COVID-19, particularly professionals and policy-makers, as well as those with a general interest in governance and pandemics.
“Loh and colleagues have once again provided a clear, multidimensional set of lessons on the global pandemic that is at once contextualised to Hong Kong. This is an excellent follow-up to a similar volume for the 2003 SARS outbreak—sadly plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose—lest future history repeat given the inevitability of more emerging outbreaks to come.”
—Gabriel Leung, honorary professor and former dean of medicine, the University of Hong Kong
List of Illustrations vii
List of Tables viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xi
List of Abbreviations xii
List of Contributors xiv
1. Introduction 1
Christine Loh and Judith Mackay
2. The UN, WHO, and COVID-19 20
Judith Mackay
3. Good Governance Means Curbing Commercial Determinants of Health
in the Time of COVID-19 50
Judith Mackay
4. COVID-19 Vaccines and a Pathway out of the Pandemic 63
Benjamin J. Cowling
5. The Mathematics of COVID-19 75
Michael Edesess
6. The Social Contract and Responses to COVID-19 103
Renu Singh
7. The Economic and Social Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic 110
Michael Edesess and Christine Loh
8. What Governments Should Do to Prevent Shortages of Medically Critical
Products in Future Pandemics 127
Christopher S. Tang and ManMohan S. Sodhi
9. China and the United States: Mutually Incomprehensible Approach to
Fighting COVID-19 141
Christine Loh
10. Pandemic Control in China’s Gated Communities 169
Hualing Fu
11. The Hong Kong and Greater China Response to COVID-19 195
Richard Cullen
12. A Comparative Perspective on the COVID-19 Response in Europe 219
Renu Singh
13. Observations and Conclusion 230
Christine Loh with contributions from other authors
Further Reading 241