Responding to community spread of COVID-19: interim guidance, 7 March 2020

On 30 January 2020, WHO announced that the COVID-19 outbreak was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of 4 March 2020, cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 77 countries. To date, most cases were reported from China with cases in some other countries among individuals with travel history to China. In February 2020, the number of cases in China declined while the number of cases and countries reporting cases increased.

Several countries have demonstrated that COVID-19 transmission from one person to another can be slowed or stopped. These actions have saved lives and have provided the rest of the world with more time to prepare for the arrival of COVID-19: to ready emergency response systems; to increase capacity to detect and care for patients; to ensure hospitals have the space, supplies and necessary personnel; and to develop life-saving medical interventions. Every country should urgently take all necessary measures to slow further spread and to avoid that their health systems become overwhelmed due to seriously ill patients with COVID-19.