Special Edition April 2020 Pandemic: an Invisible Enemy Courtesy of Martin Sanchez (Unsplash). From the Editor A Note to the Reader STEPHANIE MILLER Editor-in-Chief On behalf of our Editorial Board, I am pleased to present the first-ever Special Edition of The Diplomatic Envoy. JARRETT DANG Managing Editor As the world finds itself engulfed in a crisis unlike any in modern history, this April we chose to focus on delving into the HARSHANA GHOORHOO stories that matter most to the global community as it moves International News Editor forward in the coming months. This edition explores the hearts of issues pertaining to the field of international health, from JUDY KOREN threats facing vulnerable populations and economic security to Opinion Editor emergency ethics and environmental integrity. JUNGIN KIM Associate Editor For the past month, The Envoy’s editorial board has worked with a select group of our most dedicated staff writers whose CASEY HATCHIMONJI locations and ideas stretch across borders now more than ever Web Editor before. It is our privilege to showcase the contributions of both our editors and our staff, and we welcome the opportunity to TIEN PHAN continue The Diplomatic Envoy’s proud tradition even in this Layout Editor time of transition. DR. COURTNEY SMITH Stephanie Miller, Faculty Adviser EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS Ali H. Aljarrah This publication is made possible through the generosity of the Axel Songerath Constance J. Milstein, Esq., Endowed Fund. Daniela Maquera The views expressed in The Diplomatic Envoy are those of the writ- ers and are not intended Joaquin Matamis to represent the views of the School of Diplomacy, Seton Hall Uni- Megan Gawron versity, or the CJM Fund. Natalie Sherman For more information on sources, go to blogs.shu.edu/thediplo- maticenvoy Courtesy of Flickr. table of contents Flattening the Curve: Pandemic Response and the East-West Dichotomy...............................................2 Misinformation and the Rise of the “Infodemic”....5 Government Interventions, Public Health Respons- es, and the Economics of Pandemics......................8 Vulnerable Populations: COVID-19 and the Risk of Leaving Developing States Behind........................11 COVID-19 and Emergency Ethics: A New Dimen- sion of Medical and Political Response................14 “Wake-Up Call”: How the Coronavirus Can Impact Climate Change.....................................................18 Flattening the Curve: Pandemic Response and the East-West Dichotomy Daniela Maquera Staff Writer Courtesy of Fran Boloni (Unsplash). 2 When China announced that its two- According to The Lancet, once the ge- month lockdown, border shutdown, netic sequences for COVID-19 were and intense police surveillance had published, Hong Kong, Japan, and lowered the country’s rising number of Singapore all developed their own tests coronavirus cases, it shocked the world. for the virus and ramped up produc- Many western countries did not think tion of necessary materials. However, it possible to imitate China’s methods: according to a New York Times re- many called them draconian and looked port, despite the almost-flat curves of elsewhere. However, in Asia, Singa- Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, pore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan took a occasional spikes imply they remain at different approach. Recalling lessons risk. All eyes now turn to South Ko- learned from the aftermath of the 2002 rea – the only country besides Chi- SARS outbreak, despite their close na to successfully flatten their curve. links to mainland China, they chose In a single week, South Korea to sacrifice that relationship for health halved its number of cases with no and cut ties with the virus’ source. draconian restrictions or lockdowns. Many states considered their mea- Instead, the country engaged in wide- sures extreme. Even when the WHO spread testing, contact tracing, and did not consider “travel bans” neces- rallied critical support from citizens, sary, these three regions had already a design that minimizes the risk of restricted passengers coming from the contagion to health workers. These mainland. According to Time, their separate centers spared hospitals and strategy cost trade and tourism reve- clinics from being overwhelmed. nue coming from China. However, in Although the fear of resurgence the long-run, their proactive prevention remains, the remaining lesson is that has made them the almost-certain win- there is no time to waste – action must ners in the fight to contain COVID-19. be taken now. Sadly, countries with Putting aside these countries’ differ- stunning numbers of new cases, such ent regimes, the open and honest in- as Italy, Spain, and the United States, teraction of government officials and have moved on to a new reality that health experts with citizens has led to limits which measures they can em- Courtesy of Rawpixel. clarity. Through effective communi- ulate from these Eastern countries. cation and free testing, governments As experts argue whether this health continue to alleviate the civilian eco- crisis demands a wartime-like response, nomic and health burden. Singapore more European countries continue to tests every case of influenza-like ill- lock down their borders. Rather than ness and tracked contacts of possibly acting in unison, The New York Times infected patients. Taiwan combined states, each country is closing its bor- its national health care and immigra- ders: Germany, France, and Britain all tion databases to generate automat- banned gatherings and deployed po- ed travel alerts. South Korea and Ja- lice officers to keep citizens home as pan both adopted measures of strict slow testing exacerbates hospital re- social distancing once the spread source depletion. The Atlantic says began. According to Wired, these that Italy published a guideline for countries used prior experience with doctors calling for extreme triage mea- outbreaks to build health systems with sures: intensive care is limited to pa- strong countermeasures and activated tients with the highest life expectancy. them “before the bomb exploded.” Epidemiologists say that not much Strict surveillance plays a big role can be done without early and wide- in containing the number of cases in spread testing. The New York Times these Asian countries, although the states that inconsistent testing has led main driver of their effective response to a patchwork response to the crisis is the rapid development of testing. in Europe and the U.S. Unlike South Courtesy of Flickr. 3 Courtesy of Brian McGowan (Unsplash). Korea and Singapore, most Europe- an countries face shortages of testing chemicals and thus limited testing avail- ability. Fearing an economic downturn, Europe did not close businesses and must now take even stricter measures. The U.S. is living an even worse real- ity. With the highest recorded death rate of any country, the government strug- gles to define its strategic plan, their dilemma lying between prioritizing the economy or civilians’ health. Although Congress’s two trillion dollar emergency spending bill promises to deliver cash to individual Americans, businesses, and health care facilities reeling from the pandemic, the Washington Post notes that this will not stop travel or contain the virus. In stalling action plans, the U.S. ignores Europe’s hard-learned les- son: failing to accept the severity of the virus and act accordingly can cost lives. American testing remains limited and costly, according to The Atlan- tic, limiting access even to healthcare workers who are in direct contact with patients. Crippled international supply chains short the country’s medical pro- fessionals of crucial access to protective medical equipment. Combined with the country’s unwillingness to shut down businesses, America could very well see a projected death toll of up to 2.2 million. Although the world has not faced such fearsome pandemic in 100 years, past outbreaks helped better prepare Asian countries for the COVID-19 outbreak. By choosing short-run eco- nomic losses over massive deaths and “Each country is closing its bor- panic, in the long run, they have kept a ders: Germany, France, and Britain all relative-flat curve of coronavirus cases. banned gatherings and deployed police Because Europe and the United States’ officers tokeep citizens home as slow failure to establish equivalent early warning systems, these countries will be testing exacerbates hospital resource placed on the frontline of a battle with- depletion.” out adequate resources, forced to wage a war with no end in immediate sight. - The New York Times Contact Daniela at daniela.maquera@ student.shu.edu Courtesy of Rawpixel. 4 Misinformation and the Rise of the “Infodemic” Joaquin Matamis Staff Writer 5 Courtesy of Brian McGowan (Unsplash). Since COVID-19 first entered the work of health officials. For ex- the collective consciousness of me- ample, the repetition of media false- dia and society, people far and wide hoods establishes a level of familiarity continue to spread all information between consumers and inaccurate they can gather on the virus. Unfor- information. As NBC's Ruaridh Ar- tunately, whether maliciously intended row reports, some companies resort or not, this has led to the widespread to false advertising and upselling tox- dissemination of misinformation on ic chemical to make a profit. Chloro- a viral scale. The fear and paranoia quine, a drug for malaria, is not prov- Courtesy of Flickr. around the globe indicate not only en to work against COVID-19 and its the dangers of the viral pandem- phosphate equivalent is toxic to hu- The fear and paranoia ic but a worldwide “infodemic”. mans, used in aquariums to treat fish. Dr. Claire Wardle, a leading ex- However, this has not stopped con- indicate not only the pert in the field of social media and sumers from purchasing the chemical dangers of the viral user-generated content, states in an and experimenting with self-treatment. pandemic but a world- Aspen Institute webinar that this “in- Similarly, hearsay typically domi- wide “infodemic”. fodemic” has taken shape in a couple nates Facebook and Whatsapp, as un- of trends worldwide.