1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i COVID-19 International Responses: Resources for Comparison with U.S. Policies August 14, 2020 This Insight presents selected resources and CRS products that may be useful for Congress as it compares U.S. responses to the C
2、oronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with other countries responses. COVID-19 emerged in China in late 2019 and has since spread around the globe, infecting millions and leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths. Since it emerged, the pandemic epicenter has shifted from China to several coun
3、tries in Europe and then across the western hemisphere, including Brazil and the United States. In addition to the high counts of illness and death, COVID-19 has prompted a global economic recession with varying impacts on countries worldwide, according to the World Bank and the Organization for Eco
4、nomic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The U.S. economy, as measured by gross domestic product, contracted at an annual rate of 32.9% in the second quarter of 2020. In the United States, unemployment also became widespread, with close to 18 million jobless (11.1% of workers) and more than 30 mill