When the discussion turns to which countries have responded best to Covid-19, those most often mentioned are:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇹🇼" title="Flagge des Taiwan" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge des Taiwan">Taiwan
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇳🇿" title="Flagge von Neuseeland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Neuseeland">New Zealand
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇻🇳" title="Flagge von Vietnam" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Vietnam">Vietnam

@tylercowen would like to make a more surprising nomination: the U.K.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇬🇧" title="Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches"> https://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

At first glance, the U.K.’s performance doesn’t look great. Britain has:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend"> The highest death rates per million
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👎" title="Thumbs down" aria-label="Emoji: Thumbs down"> An initial contradictory government response
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌡️" title="Thermometer" aria-label="Emoji: Thermometer"> A prime minister contracted Covid-19
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😷" title="Gesicht mit Mundschutz" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Mundschutz"> Poor mask-wearing habits http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

But the most important factor in the global response to Covid-19 is on the biomedical front.

On that score the U.K. receives stellar marks and is certainly No. 1 on a per capita basis http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

First, the U.K. played a pivotal role in the testing of a cheap steroid known as dexamethasone.

It was the first drug shown to reduce death in Covid-19 patients, and the trials proving its effectiveness came from the U.K. http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

In one sample, the drug reduced deaths among a vulnerable group by one-third.

Dexamethasone is now a part of treatment regimens around the world, and even poor countries can afford it http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

The world is also in the midst of a race to find a safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19. The leading contender comes from the U.K.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine generated an immune response in a group of about 1,000 patients http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

The side effects have been “mild or moderate,” and the vaccine is moving more quickly than other major contenders.

The British-Swedish drug company has already inked a major deal for widespread distribution to poorer countries http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

The U.K. deserves high marks for this progress.

There is talk of a million doses or more being ready by this fall, though it was commonly claimed earlier in the year that a good vaccine might be many years away http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

How did the U.K. vaccine get so far so soon?

Prior to the pandemic, Oxford’s Jenner Institute was working on other coronavirus issues and had a stock of knowledge about which potential coronavirus vaccines might prove harmless to humans http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇺🇸" title="Flagge der Vereinigten Staaten" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge der Vereinigten Staaten">The second leading candidate in the race to fight Covid-19 might be the U.S., which has produced the useful antiviral remdesivir.

The U.S. may yet pass the U.K. for overall contributions, but as of mid-July, the British are the winners by a landslide http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

It& #39;s fine and even correct to lecture the British (and the Americans) for their subpar messaging and public health measures.

But it& #39;s interesting how few people lecture the Australians or the South Koreans for not having better biomedical research http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...

Societies tend to undervalue innovation, which makes the U.K.’s progress all the more important.

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇬🇧" title="Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge des Vereinigten Königreiches">Critics of Brexit like to say that it will leave the U.K. as a small country of minor import. In the meantime, the Brits are on track to save the world http://trib.al/ACGcNds ">https://trib.al/ACGcNds&q...