COVID-19 Awakening: Preparedness, Readiness and Response during the pandemic

At the end of December 2019, the China public health authorities were informed on cases of unusual pneumonia detected in Wuhan City, mainland China. The causative agent was later identified to be a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) currently referred to as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2). The World Health Organization declared the disease a public health emergency of international concern on 30th January 2020 and named it Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on 11th February 2020. By 20th April 2020, over 2.4 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported from 210 countries and territories worldwide. The rate at which COVID-19 spreads and the fact that asymptomatic individuals can transmit the disease has risen concerns on how to control the pandemic in resource-constrained countries. We conducted a review of literatures and summarized the key lessons to inform policy and decision makers on strategies necessary for an effective response during the pandemic. We recommend comprehensive implementation of the proposed approaches that encompass robust containment strategies and flexible transition to scaling up mitigation strategies.