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

Taiwan
New Zealand
Vietnam

@tylercowen would like to make a more surprising nomination: the U.K. https://trib.al/ACGcNds 

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

The highest death rates per million
An initial contradictory government response
A prime minister contracted Covid-19
Poor mask-wearing habits http://trib.al/ACGcNds 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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

But it's interesting how few people lecture the Australians or the South Koreans for not having better biomedical research http://trib.al/ACGcNds 

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

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