Alaska vs New Zealand: COVID-19

[pitabread]

New Zealand has one of the best records against COVID-19 on the planet. Relatively few cases (per capita) and very few deaths. They opted for strict lockdown procedures in wake of the virus, and have done a remarkable job containing it as a result.

Early in the pandemic, anti-lockdown advocates attributed NZ's to their sparse population and remote geographic location. After all, lockdowns couldn't actually work, could they?

If this were strictly a case of geographic remoteness and spare population density, a place like Alaska should fare similarly. Yet looking at the relative statistics, a different story emerges.

Alaska has about 1/5 the population size of NZ, and has 27x the number of cases and 20x the number of deaths.

Maybe it's not about remote geographic locations and spare populations after all?

 

[pitabread]

Alaska’s current COVID-19 surge hit new heights Wednesday as the state reported another 1,251 new cases, marking another daily case record since the pandemic began as hospitals continue to operate under extreme stress and some are forced to ration care.

It’s the second time in two weeks that the state has shattered its daily case record: The previous high was recorded last Wednesday, with 1,095 cases, followed by a second consecutive day of more than 1,000 new infections.

...

Dunleavy urged Alaskans to take individual steps to help slow the spread of the virus but stopped short of issuing or supporting mandates.

Alaska hits another daily record with over 1,200 COVID-19 cases reported as hospitalizations tick up
​

We're seeing this experiment play out in real time. Leaving things to the general population to "take individual steps" just doesn't work.

 

[Goonie]

New Zealand has one of the best records against COVID-19 on the planet. Relatively few cases (per capita) and very few deaths. They opted for strict lockdown procedures in wake of the virus, and have done a remarkable job containing it as a result.

Early in the pandemic, anti-lockdown advocates attributed NZ's to their sparse population and remote geographic location. After all, lockdowns couldn't actually work, could they?

If this were strictly a case of geographic remoteness and spare population density, a place like Alaska should fare similarly. Yet looking at the relative statistics, a different story emerges.

Alaska has about 1/5 the population size of NZ, and has 27x the number of cases and 20x the number of deaths.

Maybe it's not about remote geographic locations and spare populations after all?

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It's the USA everythings bigger!!

 

[Strathos]

Well, to be completely fair, Alaska isn't surrounded on all sides by water. Then again there are probably few people entering it from the Yukon.

 

[pitabread]

Well, to be completely fair, Alaska isn't surrounded on all sides by water. Then again there are probably few people entering it from the Yukon.

The Canada/U.S. border has been mostly closed since the pandemic started.

 

[Vylo]

alaska is an artic and sub-arctic area. this permits much more spread. also it has a large land border with Canada and other americans could fly into it.

 

[Occams Barber]

alaska is an artic and sub-arctic area. this permits much more spread. also it has a large land border with Canada and other americans could fly into it.

But... New Zealand is far more urbanised than Alaska. New Zealand is not actually 'sparsely populated'. It's more urbanised than the US. 87% of New Zealanders live in cities compared to 66% in Alaska and 83% in the US. While NZ is not "sub arctic", it's bloody cold so it has risk factors at least equal to Alaska.

Let's face it - New Zealand's real advantage is a population more willing to focus on public health and cooperate with lockdowns and other Covid measures.

OB

 

[cow451]

Well, to be completely fair, Alaska isn't surrounded on all sides by water. Then again there are probably few people entering it from the Yukon.

You know Russia is just across the strait.

 

[Goonie]

You know Russia is just across the strait.

And there are many crossings?

 

[cow451]

And there are many crossings?

I think Russia built a wall ….

 

[pitabread]

While NZ is not "sub arctic", it's bloody cold so it has risk factors at least equal to Alaska.

As a Canadian, I have to laugh at the notion that NZ is "bloody cold".

 

[rambot]

New Zealand has one of the best records against COVID-19 on the planet. Relatively few cases (per capita) and very few deaths. They opted for strict lockdown procedures in wake of the virus, and have done a remarkable job containing it as a result.

Early in the pandemic, anti-lockdown advocates attributed NZ's to their sparse population and remote geographic location. After all, lockdowns couldn't actually work, could they?

If this were strictly a case of geographic remoteness and spare population density, a place like Alaska should fare similarly. Yet looking at the relative statistics, a different story emerges.

Alaska has about 1/5 the population size of NZ, and has 27x the number of cases and 20x the number of deaths.

Maybe it's not about remote geographic locations and spare populations after all?

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Then consider the population density....

 

[rambot]

As a Canadian, I have to laugh at the notion that NZ is "bloody cold".

When it's cold in NZ though it's a moist cold and that sucks.

I would take -40 in Edmonton to -16 in Toronto every day of Christmas vacation.

 

[loveofourlord]

When it's cold in NZ though it's a moist cold and that sucks.

I would take -40 in Edmonton to -16 in Toronto every day of Christmas vacation.

yeah, I live on west coast of BC and our 0-3*C is much colder then interior -10 or so *C due to the moisture. I was surprised how little the cold bothered me there despite being much lower.

 

[iluvatar5150]

You know Russia is just across the strait.

Some Alaskans may say that Russia is close enough to see from their houses.

 

[iluvatar5150]

New Zealand has one of the best records against COVID-19 on the planet. Relatively few cases (per capita) and very few deaths. They opted for strict lockdown procedures in wake of the virus, and have done a remarkable job containing it as a result.

Early in the pandemic, anti-lockdown advocates attributed NZ's to their sparse population and remote geographic location. After all, lockdowns couldn't actually work, could they?

If this were strictly a case of geographic remoteness and spare population density, a place like Alaska should fare similarly. Yet looking at the relative statistics, a different story emerges.

Alaska has about 1/5 the population size of NZ, and has 27x the number of cases and 20x the number of deaths.

Maybe it's not about remote geographic locations and spare populations after all?

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I wonder if this will be a nail in the coffin of right-wing quasi-libertarianism, since it’s so hard to ignore its failures.

 

[pitabread]

I wonder if this will be a nail in the coffin of right-wing quasi-libertarianism, since it’s so hard to ignore its failures.

A literal coffin in some cases. :/

 

[DaisyDay]

And there are many crossings?

No, but Putin's head rises over the border....

 

[MorkandMindy]

I wonder if this will be a nail in the coffin of right-wing quasi-libertarianism, since it’s so hard to ignore its failures.

Do you mean Neoliberalism? Ronald Reagan and Margret Thatcher brought it to the US and UK and it has been giving us grief ever since. Has made significant or very significant inroads into many other countries Worldwide, might even get into China now too and then it's goodbye to all their hopes and expectations just like it badly tarnished our American Dream.

Even though Neoliberalism is the World's dominant economic disease nobody ever seems to mention it.

It has a big relevance to COVID because Neoliberalism puts profit over everything including the survival of low-income people

Yes I wish we would put a nail in it's coffin.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Do you mean Neoliberalism? Ronald Reagan and Margret Thatcher brought it to the US and UK and it has been giving us grief ever since. Has made significant or very significant inroads into many other countries Worldwide, might even get into China now too and then it's goodbye to all their hopes and expectations just like it badly tarnished our American Dream.

Even though Neoliberalism is the World's dominant economic disease nobody ever seems to mention it.

It has a big relevance to COVID because Neoliberalism puts profit over everything including the survival of low-income people

Yes I wish we would put a nail in it's coffin.

No, neoliberalism is something of a market-based approach to everything. Like many things, it’s got its uses, but can be over-applied.

The “right-wing quasi-libertarianism” to which I was referring is the phony libertarianism that’s popular on the right that takes libertarianism’s attitude of each man being an island and wraps it in the hypocrisy of freedom-for-me-but-authoritarianism-for-thee.