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NZ, Vietnam, Taiwan rank the top three in Covid Performance Index

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SYDNEY New Zealand, Vietnam and Taiwan rank in the top three of a Covid Performance Index for their successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with Britain and America near the bottom of the pile.

The top 10 in the list of almost 100 countries include Thailand, Cyprus, Rwanda, Iceland, Australia, Latvia and Sri Lanka - countries with fewer reported cases and deaths both in aggregate and per capita terms. Singapore was No 13 on the list.

The Lowy Institute said its index published yesterday excludes China due to a lack of publicly available data.

In total, 98 countries were evaluated in the 36 weeks that followed their 100th confirmed case of Covid-19, using data available up to Jan 9 this year.

The report comes as world coronavirus cases surpass 100 million with the death toll exceeding two million.

The US, with more than 25 million confirmed cases, ranked 94th, while India, with more than 11 million cases, was 86th. Britain, with the highest number of the deaths in Europe, stood at 66th.

Asia-Pacific proved the most successful in containing the pandemic, while Europe and the US were "quickly overwhelmed".

"In general, countries with smaller populations, cohesive societies, and capable institutions have a comparative advantage in dealing with a global crisis such as a pandemic," the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said. - REUTERS

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