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

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.