Why Denmark beat COVID and the U.S. didn't
In a pandemic, trust in science and government is critical
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
Denmark is beating COVID. The Danish government recently announced the virus is no longer a "critical threat" there, and lifted its vaccination and mask requirements for indoor activities. Denmark's death toll per million citizens over the course of the pandemic is just 22 percent of the U.S.'s, and daily deaths there have fallen to under 10. Our deaths are again running at more than 2,000 a day. Why the huge difference? Trust. A survey by researchers Michael Bang Petersen and Alexander Bor found that more than 90 percent of Danes trust their national health authorities and public decision makers, The Washington Post reported this week. As a result, 86 percent of eligible Danes have been vaccinated. In the U.S., trust in expertise, government, the media, and institutions has collapsed. Vaccinations are lagging below 50 percent in many states, and we may add another 100,000 deaths this fall and winter to our grim total of 675,000. The pandemic still casts a deep shadow over our lives.
A society cannot function without a basic level of trust. The credibility void is filled with disinformation, conspiracy theories, cynicism, division, and resentment. The effects are plain to see: In Washington, consensus is dead and compromise virtually impossible. Trust in elections, the foundation of democracy, is eroding like a beach in a hurricane. In the face of all evidence, tens of millions of Americans continue to believe that the 2020 election was stolen, and that rigorously tested, lifesaving vaccines already administered to more than 200 million Americans — and billions worldwide — are dangerous and "experimental." People shun a simple shot largely because they see it as a form of surrender. In red states, the unvaccinated are flooding overwhelmed hospitals; Idaho has adopted "crisis standards of care," authorizing burned-out staff to ration beds to those most likely to survive. Meanwhile, in Denmark, crowds are flocking to concerts and bars to celebrate their freedom. Divided, we fall.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.
-
Band Aid 40: time to change the tune?
In the Spotlight Band Aid's massively popular 1984 hit raised around £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia and the charity has generated over £140m in total
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Starmer vs the farmers: who will win?
Today's Big Question As farmers and rural groups descend on Westminster to protest at tax changes, parallels have been drawn with the miners' strike 40 years ago
By The Week UK Published
-
How secure are royal palaces?
The Explainer Royal family's safety is back in the spotlight after the latest security breach at Windsor
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'
The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
By The Week UK Published
-
FDA OKs new Covid vaccine, available soon
Speed read The CDC recommends the new booster to combat the widely-circulating KP.2 strain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Mpox: how dangerous is new health emergency?
Today's Big Question Spread of potentially deadly sub-variant more like early days of HIV than Covid, say scientists
By The Week UK Published
-
What is POTS and why is it more common now?
The explainer The condition affecting young women
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Brexit, Matt Hancock and black swans: five takeaways from Covid inquiry report
The Explainer UK was 'unprepared' for pandemic and government 'failed' citizens with flawed response, says damning report
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Should masks be here to stay?
Talking Points New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a mask ban. Here's why she wants one — and why it may not make sense.
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Covid might be to blame for an uptick in rare cancers
The explainer The virus may be making us more susceptible to certain cancers
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Long Covid and chronic pain: is it all in the mind?
The Explainer 'Retraining the brain' could offer a solution for some long Covid sufferers
By The Week UK Published