The response to COVID 19 across countries and the implications for future pandemics

Haque, Mainul and Gowere, Marshall and Nusrat, Nadia and Chowdhury, Kona and Godman, Brian (2021) The response to COVID 19 across countries and the implications for future pandemics. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science, 20 (5). pp. 7-14. ISSN 2076-0299 (https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v20i5.55417)

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Abstract

We have previously reported that COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 20191-4. By mid-August 2021, there were over 208 million confirmed cases worldwide with more than 4.3 million deaths giving a case fatality ratio of 2.1%5. Since COVID-19 is principally spread through airborne aerosols and physical contact6-8, and an appreciable number of patients are asymptomatic, early strategies to prevent the spread of the virus in the absence of proven effective medicines included lockdown and other preventative measures4,9.