Why do rich countries have such high coronavirus death tolls?
ABCIt's the stories of the doctors and nurses that often hit the hardest. Professor Blakely says the younger age structure of some of the low and middle-income countries might act "a little bit like herd immunity". Professor Jodie McVernon, the Doherty Institute's epidemiology director, also says countries like Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea invested in strong public health systems and extensive laboratory capacity, "which were actually the critical elements of initial response". Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak Download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest on how the pandemic is impacting the world She also says the WHO proclaimed a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, so "none of those 194 countries could possibly suggest that they did not know". She says some lower-income nations like Vietnam and Thailand have marshalled their "excellent and well established health systems" to manage the spread, while other nations like Cambodia and Papua New Guinea have experienced "sporadic cases".