全球健康面临的最新威胁是近期被命名为2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的呼吸道疾病的持续暴发。COVID-19于2019年12月被发现1，之后很快证明其病原体是一种与严重急性呼吸综合征（SARS）致病病毒相关的新型冠状病毒。正如过去18年间出现的两种冠状病毒病SARS（2002年和2003年）和中东呼吸综合征（2012年至今）一样2，COVID-19疫情对公共卫生、科研和医学界提出了严峻挑战。
作者信息
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., H. Clifford Lane, M.D., and Robert R. Redfield, M.D.
From the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (A.S.F., H.C.L.); and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (R.R.R.).
参考文献
1. Pneumonia of unknown cause — China: disease outbreak news. Geneva: World Health Organization, January 5, 2020 (https://www.who.int/csr/don/05-january-2020-pneumonia-of-unkown-cause-china/en/. opens in new tab).
2. de Wit E, van Doremalen N, Falzarano D, Munster VJ. SARS and MERS: recent insights into emerging coronaviruses. Nat Rev Microbiol 2016;14:523-534.
3. Li Q, Guan X, Wu P, et al. Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of novel coronavirus–infected pneumonia. N Engl J Med 2020;382:1199-1207.
4. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): situation report — 36. Geneva: World Health Organization, February 25, 2020 (https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200225-sitrep-36-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=2791b4e0_2. opens in new tab).
5. Guan W, Ni Z, Hu Y, et al. Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2002032.
6. Holshue ML, DeBolt C, Lindquist S, et al. First case of 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States. N Engl J Med 2020;382:929-936.
7. Zou L, Ruan F, Huang M, et al. SARS-CoV-2 viral load in upper respiratory specimens of infected patients. N Engl J Med 2020;382:1177-1179.
8. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 26, 2020 (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html. opens in new tab).
9. Fong MW, Gao H, Wong JY, et al. Nonpharmaceutical measures for pandemic influenza in nonhealthcare settings — social distancing measures. Emerging Infect Dis 2020;26(5) (Epub ahead of print).
10. DRAFT landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines — 18 February 2020. Geneva: World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/blueprint/priority-diseases/key-action/list-of-candidate-vaccines-developed-against-ncov.pdf. opens in new tab).
11. WHO R&D blueprint: informal consultation on prioritization of candidate therapeutic agents for use in novel coronavirus 2019 infection. Geneva: World Health Organization, January 24, 2020 (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/330680/WHO-HEO-RDBlueprint%28nCoV%29-2020.1-eng.pdf. opens in new tab).
12. Lane HC, Marston HD, Fauci AS. Conducting clinical trials in outbreak settings: points to consider. Clin Trials 2016;13:92-95.