COVID-19: towards controlling of a pandemic
Published Online March 16, 2020
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30673-5
During the past 3 weeks, new major epidemic foci ofcoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), some withouttraceable origin, have been identified and are rapidlyexpanding in Europe, North America, Asia, and the MiddleEast, with the first confirmed cases being identified in
African and Latin American countries. By March 16, 2020,the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China hadincreased drastically and the number of affected countries,states, or territories reporting infections to WHO was 143.1On the basis of ”alarming levels of spread and severity, andby the alarming levels of inaction”, on March 11, 2020,the Director-General of WHO characterised the COVID-19 situation as a pandemic.2