In the graphic below, you can compare the pandemic takeoff between the western nations and the tropical nations. Even though many tropical nations had high rates of travel from Wuhan and from China in general, they did not experience anything close to the viral takeoff experienced by Iran, Italy, New York, Spain, and other western locations.
Temperate vs. Tropical as of Mid-March 2020
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-stunning-chart-shows-the-coronavirus-spreading-slowly-in-tropical-countries-2020-03-17
In the tropical paradise of Bali — which previously had 5 flights from Wuhan a week — the medical impact of the Chinese virus is still minimal, as of mid-April 2020.
BALI seems to be largely unaffected by the Coronavirus… the airport, through which over 95% of all visitors come in has been largely closed for foreign arrivals since the first week of February.
Schools have been closed since mid-March and public offices also to a large degree.
But that’s about it. Other than that business as usual.
The Crematorium in Bali’s capital city Denpasar does not see any increase in the number of cremations.
The hospitals do not have a flood of patients. There is hardly any talk on Social Media by people reporting about folks falling ill with Corona like symptoms.
The only thing I could find in Social Media groups is that business owners in Bali have reported an unusually high number of employees falling ill during November and December 2019.
Many of those have shown symptoms very similar to Covid19 symptoms. But all of them recovered from whatever it was. __ Source
In Bali, it is the tourist-based economy that is hurting. The people are still healthy, because wealthier outsiders are helping to feed them until the tourist economy opens up again. It is always the gestapo shutdowns that get you in the end, not the virus.
If you consult the worldometers.info/coronavirus national rankings by cases, you will have to look far down the list to find significant numbers of tropical nations. Most tropical countries have had fewer than 50 deaths and fewer than 1000 cases. Of those tropical nations with close China ties, Singapore is ranked about #25, with only 12 deaths and fewer than 15,000 cases (as of 26 April 2020). Nearby Indonesia is ranked about #35, with under 10,000 cases and 743 deaths. The Philippines is around #40, with 501 deaths and 7579 cases. Malaysia has 98 deaths and 5780 cases. Hong Kong lists about 1,000 cases and 4 deaths. Vietnam lists 270 cases and no deaths.
As noted, among the tropical nations Singapore has the highest number of cases. But the number of deaths from Wuhan CoV in Singapore has been quite low — 12 as of today.
The Pacific Island nations have had minimal impact from Wuhan CoV. Interestingly, tropical nations with high rates of malaria, seem to have very low rates of Wuhan CoV.
New Zealand and Australia are not exactly tropical nations, but they have been enjoying relatively warm and sunny weather for the most part, during this long southern hemisphere summer and early autumn. A large part of the credit for their low rates of death and infection from China virus may go to the southern hemisphere climate, rather than to any government efforts.
What About California?
California is not a tropical country, but much of the state is beginning to emerge into a long period of sunshine that should last through October. As infection/death rates drop, Californians are starting to react against Gavin “Gestapo” Newsom’s shutdown orders.
California has, at least to date, escaped the worst effects of Covid-19. Despite predictions by Governor Gavin Newsom that upward of 25 million Californians would become infected, after six weeks of lockdown the state, despite having twice as many residents as New York, has suffered only one-eighth the number of cases and considerably less than one-tenth the fatalities. The numbers could worsen, but if the rate of growth of infection slows, as is now occurring even in New York, the Golden State may well avoid the worst-case scenario.
… The pandemic is a wakeup call for California’s leaders. They need to start developing policies that address the chronic problems of poverty and lack of opportunity, while keeping the public health in focus and protecting citizens from further outbreaks. The current crisis presents an ideal time to readjust California’s regulatory environment, to the benefit of its citizens. We can save our cities by making them more affordable and healthier. Pandemics are terrible things, but their effects will be worsened in California, if the state fails to learn new lessons that can help restore its status as a beacon of opportunity. __ CJ
California was already an economic basket case, with an avalanche of jobs and businesses fleeing the state due to high taxes, suffocating regulations, and a state government among the most corrupt and ideologically blindered of the 50 states. Only New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Michigan, may be worse than California in terms of governance.
High Heat and Humidity May Slow Spread
It has long been understood that respiratory viruses that spread by droplet contact and/or by aerosol, may spread more slowly in a warm, humid, sunny environment. That is why “seasonal flu” is seasonal. There is no reason to expect China’s Wuhan novel coronavirus to be any different.
Note:
The coverage of the communist China-loosed global pandemic has been a bit obsessive here, lately. But the suicidal nature of the gestapo lockdowns cannot be ignored. We will try to force ourselves to look at a broader range of issues in the near future.
al fin next level 
The pandemic struck China first and without warning. China, with 18% of the world’s population, has had only 3% of its COVID cases and 2% of its deaths.
In contrast, with two full months warning and only 4% of the world’s population, the US has suffered 33% of the world’s cases and 27% of its deaths.
On a per caput basis, the pandemic in the US is 45 to 50 times worse than that in China.
45 to 50 times worse.
The US Ruling Class has also induced a Second Great Depression. The stock market has crashed 25% and unemployment is at least 30%.China induced a recession.
China is now recovering from its pandemic and recession. We are still approaching peak medical and economic disaster.
It is not clear that we will recover any time soon from the Second Great Depression. If the lockdowns continue into the fall, many businesses now temporarily closed will close permanently. And we have still not reached the pandemics peak, and are no where close to beginning any recovery.
Our utterly corrupt and incompetent Ruling Class has just committed one of the worst blunders in American history, exceeded only by the Civil War. They are fully on a par with the French nobolity on the eave of the French Revolution.
We will exit this disaster (hopefully) clearly in second place and falling. China will emerge as the hegemon.
lack of tests in the global south is a better explanation.
Perhaps. But if — as in Bali — there are no unexplained deaths, no hospitalization crisis, no ICU crush . . . what other tests do you need for a place that until February was in constant contact with tourists from Wuhan? Real life observation is sometimes the best test you will get.
Seasons change, affecting all forms of life in temperate zones. In the tropics it is always summer. Some life forms adapt to the heat, humidity, and sunshine. Chinese coronavirus has not had time to adapt. And after it does adapt, will it still have its unique Wuhan tuned virulence?