The politics of pandemics
All governments will struggle. Some will struggle more than others
TO SEE WHAT is to come look to Lombardy, the affluent Italian region at the heart of the covid-19 outbreak in Europe. Its hospitals provide world-class health care. Until last week they thought they would cope with the disease—then waves of people began turning up with pneumonia. Having run out of ventilators and oxygen, exhausted staff at some hospitals are being forced to leave untreated patients to die.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The politics of pandemics”
From the March 14th 2020 edition
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