Hypothesis about why Asia and nearby countries got affected so much less than the West, with what seems to be a decent data analysis. TLDR, exposure to bats in these countries and travel between them.
Victoria had an exploding case count that was set to match the rest of the world before the government did a hard lockdown. And not just the feel good ones they do in the US, the lockdown meant you could only leave the house for 1 hour a day for exercise within a 5km radius and anyone who absolutely had to leave the house had to show proof and wear a mask. The case count fell sharply only after these measures were put in place.