Global health in transition

Since the initial cases in Hubei of China, the number of confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases has grown rapidly and spread to countries across the world. And it is already declared a public health emergency. As a result, many countries have taken several measures from mass testing, travel and border restrictions, to lockdowns in a bid to contain the virus. However, the risks and threats of the virus are still growing around the world.

As countries across the world go into lockdown, many developing countries in particular face several problems of rapid response to this pandemic because of limited resources and weak public health system. In the countries where the pandemic is steadily progressing, there are emerging challenges of ensuring timely testing, treatment and robust contact tracing.