Thailand ranks first among countries with the highest rate of Covid-19 recoveries, according to the Global Covid-19 Index (GCI).
Saffron safety: A monk wears a saffron-coloured face mask as a precaution against Covid-19 at Wat Arun Ratchawararam in Bangkok. People have been advised to follow strict health safeguards to prevent a resurgence of the outbreak. (Photo by Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
The GCI report, published on Tuesday, gave Thailand an index score of 82.06 from 100 points, putting it top of countries that have made the most progress in curtailing the spread of the pandemic and can be used as examples of best anti-virus practices.
South Korea comes second in the rankings with 81.09 points, followed by Latvia (80.81). They are followed by Malaysia (79.37), Taiwan (78.94), New Zealand (78.55), Lithuania (77.54), Australia (77.18), Canada (75.87), and Malta (75.79). Among the 20 countries highest on the list, five are in Asia: Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
The GCI bases 70% of its calculation on big data and daily analysis, ranking 184 countries on how well they are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest consists of static scores derived from the Global Health Security Index (GHS), an initiative led by Johns Hopkins University in the US that was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The GHS was developed to assess a country's readiness to cope with an epidemic.
