Diseases like covid-19 are deadlier in non-democracies

“ONLY IN China and only under the leadership of President Xi can there be such effective measures to put this sudden and fast-spreading epidemic under control.” So claims Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, when describing China’s extraordinary mobilisation to combat the new coronavirus—from the ultra-fast construction of new hospitals to the mass lockdown of Chinese cities.

China has reported more than 72,000 cases of covid-19, and more than 1,800 deaths. The first large-scale study of the epidemic, released by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on February 18th, reports that the trend in new cases has peaked and is starting to fall. It argues that “isolation of whole cities, broadcast of critical information (eg, promoting hand washing, mask wearing, and care seeking) with high frequency through multiple channels, and mobilisation of a multi-sector rapid-response teams is helping to curb the epidemic.” That said, the authors also warn that, as draconian controls are eased and people return to work, the country “needs to prepare for the possible rebound of the epidemic”.