Bhutan, a small country between India and China, has reportedly been one of the most effective in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Northeast Now reported.
Bhutan has so far only recorded one death linked to COVID-19. The 34-year-old had pre-existing liver and kidney problems and was unable to fight COVID-19. He died in the capital Thimpu on January 7.
This is the first and only COVID-19-related death in Bhutan since the pandemic appeared in November 2019 in China. It can be considered a miracle when other developed countries like the United States, all of Europe and even China are struggling terribly to stop this virus.
Notably, Bhutan has only 337 doctors for a population of around 760,000 people. Of these, there are only about 3,000 medical staff and a PCR used to test virus samples.
The ruler of Bhutan is King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He once told government leaders that even a single death from COVID-19 would be too many for a small country like Bhutan.
“The health and safety of the Bhutanese people are top priorities. Therefore, we are taking all necessary measures to protect the Bhutanese people, ”Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck said in a speech last March.
The King of Bhutan left his prince and queen for 4 days at the palace and embarked on a nationwide tour to meet with local authorities, frontline staff and see first-hand measures to mitigate the pandemic. All of Bhutan’s border gates were closed on March 23, 2020, as more people cross the country’s border.
Bhutan has experienced two nationwide blockades with restrictions in response to the pandemic. This has caused serious obstacles for businesses and devastated the livelihoods of the people of this country. However, the royal family later waived interest rates to help people weather the pandemic’s hardships. There are at least 19,126 bad debt accounts that benefit from this interest relief.
So far, Bhutan has recorded 866 COVID-19 infections, of which 862 cases have been cured, according to Worldometer statistics.
