Coronavirus Disease-2019 Response–Global Public Health Professionals Supporting Collaborative, Official, Organized Actions in Local Communities.
In this special editorial we discuss the ways in which global public health professionals can support other public health, medical, laboratory, health education, and emergency management professionals responding to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) assigned a Global WHO Risk Assessment Level of “Very
High” to the treatment of COVID-19. On March 2nd, 2020, there were 88,948 confirmed cases. The number of cases has only increased since that time, and on March 11th, 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 as pandemic.
COVID-19 is one of seven viruses in the family of human coronaviruses. The common cold is linked to four types of coronaviruses (229E, NL63, OC43, AND KHU1). Other severe types of this family of viruses includes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The current, COVID-19 strain had never been seen in the human population prior to late-December 2019; COVID-19 is considered a novel coronavirus.
Second, we can share prevention strategies, like those above, with family, friends, and co-workers in an understandable and calm manner. Third, we can help local decision-makers (e.g., school leaders, businesses, community leaders) think about public health data and information pertaining to the COVID-19 experience in a specific location and reasonable ways to keep people healthy while continuing operations in support national government and subnational government efforts to confront the spread of COVID-19.
There is no vaccine for COVID-19. Therefore, as global public health professionals, it is important for us to recall the basic public health prevention strategies that are available for all types of
human coronaviruses to prevent respiratory illnesses. It is equally important for us to share this knowledge with others.
Public Health Open J. 2020; 5(2): 22-25. doi: 10.17140/PHOJ-5-143
