From zero fatalities and increased profits for local farmers, to school lessons broadcast on national television and radio, Bhutan’s COVID-19 story offers a lesson in effective healthcare emergency response.
By Tariq Hashmat
On March 6, 2020, COVID-19 finally broke through into Bhutan, when a 76-year-old American man and his partner, who had travelled from India, tested positive for the virus. A total of 90 people, who had come in contact with them during their stay in Bhutan, were quarantined with immediate effect, while the couple was evacuated back to the US on March 16.
The royal government shut down all international borders by March 23. Over the next six months, Bhutan maintained a strict vigil along its land borders as well domestically. Testing en masse was accompanied by nationwide lockdown.
The country of over 770,000 has seen a little over 300 cases and no fatality so far. Health Analytics Asia looks at the pandemic numbers inside the little Himalayan kingdom.
Bhutan’s initial strategy relied on localised containment and mass testing. A nationwide lockdown was later imposed on August 10, when a 27-year-old traveller, who had earlier tested negative in quarantine, tested positive after reaching her hometown Gelephu. The woman was believed to have come in contact with many in Thimphu, Gelephu and Paro, and those along the way.
A gradual, phase-wise unlock began three weeks later, with inter-district and private vehicle movement only allowed in the third phase beginning September 7.
Upscaled testing
Bhutan’s COVID testing received a shot in the arm when the government received a grant support of $400,000 from South Korea. Out of the total grant, $200,000 was used to procure kits for 17,250 tests. These kits were handed over by the Korean International Cooperation Agency to Bhutan’s Ministry of Health on May 25.
A sign of adequate testing, the total positivity rate (TPR) has been low in the country and continues to decline. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a TPR of under five per cent. Bhutan’s TPR has been below one per cent since August 15, and currently stands at 0.2 per cent. At over 198,000, the country’s testing rate per million population is the highest in South Asia, and nearly three times higher than that of India.
Bhutan’s effective way of handling the coronavirus crisis has earned global attention. Zero fatalities, consistently low positivity rate, and merely a handful of active cases are strong indicators of a crisis well-handled. An ailing economy, imposing the nationwide lockdown did have some silver linings. With imports halted, earnings of farmers and vegetable sellers rose by as much as 40 per cent as domestic demand surged.
The Bhutanese Minister of Education ensured that school closures did not affect education, as an ‘Education in Emergency’ curriculum was adopted. School lessons were broadcast on national radio and television.
Asia’s happiest nation seems to have it under control, for now.
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