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The United States and South Korea each had their first confirmed case of the coronavirus around Jan. 20. They each suffered their first death in late February. If anything, South Korea appeared to be slightly ahead of the United States, with more cases and more deaths, in early March.

But then the two countries began following very different paths.

From the beginning, South Korea took the virus extremely seriously, with widespread testing, tracking of cases and quarantining. The results have been impressive: Only about 220 deaths so far, and not a single day with more than a dozen deaths.

The situation in the United States, of course, has been radically different. About 2,000 Americans have been dying each day since early last week, and the United States now has the highest death toll of any country: more than 22,000 overall. In the chart above, you can see the number of new deaths each day for the two countries, adjusted for the population of each.