The third Covid-19 wave engulfing Japan is proving more devastating than the first two. | Philip Fong / AFP One of the most striking things about the Covid-19 pandemic is just how dramatically different the responses have been from country to country. In early 2020, when little was known about the virus, this difference was unsurprising. Today, with tens of thousands of research articles and cases of best practice to learn from, one would expect to see more convergence. And yet some countries continue to resist popular strategies, such as lockdowns and insist on going their own way – with varying degrees of success.