2019 novel coronavirus outbreak: a quiz or final exam?

Abstract

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is an emerging pathogen and is threatening the global health. Strikingly, more than 28 000 cases and 550 deaths have been reported within two months from disease emergence. Armed with experience from previous epidemics in the last two decades, clinicians, scientists, officials, and citizens in China are all contributing to the prevention of further 2019-nCoV transmission. Efficient preliminary work has enabled us to understand the basic characteristics of 2019-nCoV, but there are still many unanswered questions. It is too early now to judge our performance in this outbreak. Continuous and strengthened efforts should be made not only during the epidemic, but also afterwards in order to prepare for any incoming challenges.

Keywords

2019-nCoV / novel coronavirus / epidemic / public response

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Compliance with ethics guidelines

Jiuyang Xu, Yijun Chen, Hao Chen, and Bin Cao declare no conflicts of interest. This manuscript is a commentary and does not involve a research protocol requiring approval by the relevant institutional review board or ethics committee.

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