While fighting the pandemic, El Salvador beats malaria

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Central American nation of El Salvador has employed an iron first response to the coronavirus. The government imposed curfews, lockdowns, and closed its borders with the backing of President Nayib Bukele, who was criticized for using heavy-handed restrictions as an opening for a violent crackdown on organized crime.

While the zeal and potential illegality of these measures is debated, El Salvador has so far managed to avoid the overburdening of its health system.

One of Latin America’s poorest nations, it has recorded less than 60,000 total cases and 1,832 deaths. El Salvador has the region’s sixth-lowest Covid-19 mortality rate per capita, outperforming richer countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.

El Salvador’s fight against the mosquito-borne disease was a long and challenging struggle. While the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s claimed a total of roughly 75,000...