No. You would have to compare deaths to total population of all countries to see who was hit the hardest. As an example:
World deaths are 7% of cases and .003% of total population. The USA deaths are at 5.8% of cases and .01% of total population. Belgium deaths are at 15% of cases and .07% of total population.
Thriftymaid made some good points. I'd also like to add that I think the stats we have are overall garbage. We know people aren't being tested for COVID-19 as much as they should be and, with the test shortage, they're saving tests for the living.
There have been countries like North Korea that claim to have none but they're really just not testing.
I was also reading up on Switzerland yesterday. They're actually not really responding to COVID-19 there. They are, in a sense, but it's mostly business as usual. Just about everything is still open and people are working. Their stats are pretty grim too. But, on the flip side, maybe they have the supplies and infrastructure to handle mass hospitalizations and so perhaps their mounting death toll simply means they're getting the deaths of the way and it'll balance out before this is over?
The deaths suck. Don't get me wrong. But we don't actually have reliable stats from anywhere, not even here.
Some countries do have somewhat more reliable stats. South Korea is taking the temperature of anybody with a raised temperature via drones in public places and hand held devices at the entry to every public place. Everyone with a raised temperature gets tested. If positive, they go into quarantine for two weeks and all their contacts are traced and put into isolation for tow weeks.
Australia yesterday (viaa mining magnate) ordered 10 million test kits from China. We are now testing anyone who presents with any symptoms. New cases are down to between 1 an 12 per day. A contact tracing app has been made available free to everyone with a mobile phone. Over 1 million people have downloaded it in the last 48 hrs - but it will take 8 times that or 40% of the population to be effective. Our lockdown is now starting to slightly ease: two people may now visit the home of two others and children may come with them. Kids are returning to school one day a week. Retail stores are reopening. Sports are restarting, but with no spectators -- TV coverage only.
We never will. We will never know how many cases and infections there are/have been. The Swedish model is interesting too. I talk to people in Belgium most every day and they have done no testing except on the sick in the hospitals. That is why their death rate (16%) is so high I thing. I think America clamped down too tightly and that now we just have to open the country and economy back up. We'll likely see a surge in cases but that is going to happen over and over until there are vaccines whether people are hiding in their homes or at work. And from what I am reading about who is involved in the vaccine initiative many will not go anywhere near it when it finally comes. We'll see.
This post was edited by Thriftymaid at May 3, 2020 3:29 PM MDT
According to the news we hear here, yes, the USA is the worst hit. It's not just the actual numbers affected; it's also the proportion of those affected relative to the total population.
Stu Spelling Bee 