A Case Study Comparison: Malaysia and Brazil’s COVID-19 Response briefly compares preparedness, politics, and response in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in two upper middle-income countries, Malaysia and Brazil. This publication draws upon a larger report we commissioned on the Brazilian response, available here.
While the two countries are vastly different in population and governance systems, both were ruled by conservative governments when the pandemic began. This report attempts to synthesise learnings from the difference in results and response between both countries.