Germany isn't too far behind us, 22 deaths per million vs. 33 deaths per million. Many Western European countries were just as complacent as we were.
And I think that's the key difference between the Asian countries and the West. Complacency and a kind of arrogance that believes nothing bad will ever happen. Those "bad things" always happen "over there." And the frustrating thing is, we should've been more than prepared. The CDC was the gold standard that taught many of those countries how to control outbreaks (testing, contact tracing, etc). Massively disappointed in just about everything with the US right now. And as much as I loathe Trump, many Dem leaders also dropped the ball. Even Fauci said there was no risk on Jan. 21st. Too many US politicians and experts (and even experts in Western Europe who gambled with the herd immunity strategy) just kept waving it off until the tide finally hit.
Just a mass up at every level.