OK, here's the sort of thing that has me questioning ...
I'm very familiar with the Republic of Belarus. Been there a number of times. Compared to the U.S., car ownership is rare. Transportation is typically by bus and train, and they are packed. The climate is ghastly - cold and wet. The socialized healthcare system is primitive by U.S. standards - I fortunately haven't had to use it, but I've seen it up close. To miss more than 3 days of work, you have to be certified by a doctor every 3 days; if that means standing in line at a clinic for 4 hours, too bad for you. No one who can afford private healthcare uses the socialized system, but the vast majority of people have to. Alcoholism is epidemic.
We have numerous relatives and friends in Belarus, so I think we have a pretty good grasp on the reality.
COVID statistics, pretty much up to the minute:
I'm very familiar with the Republic of Belarus. Been there a number of times. Compared to the U.S., car ownership is rare. Transportation is typically by bus and train, and they are packed. The climate is ghastly - cold and wet. The socialized healthcare system is primitive by U.S. standards - I fortunately haven't had to use it, but I've seen it up close. To miss more than 3 days of work, you have to be certified by a doctor every 3 days; if that means standing in line at a clinic for 4 hours, too bad for you. No one who can afford private healthcare uses the socialized system, but the vast majority of people have to. Alcoholism is epidemic.
We have numerous relatives and friends in Belarus, so I think we have a pretty good grasp on the reality.
COVID statistics, pretty much up to the minute:
- The United States has 35 times the population of Belarus - 329,500,000 to 9,399,000
- The United States has 89 times the COVID infections - 87,301,331 to 982,867
- The United States has 146 times the COVID deaths - 1,018,186 to 6,978
- India has 4.3 times the population of the United States - 1,407,088,008 to 329,500,000
- India has almost exactly 1/2 the COVID infections - 43,518,564 to 87,301,331
- India has just slightly more than 1/2 the COVID deaths - 1,018,186 to 525,223