Countries must shift mindset to virus preparedness -WHO expert

Countries around the world need to shift their mindset to preparing for an outbreak of the novel coronavirus and be ready to respond rapidly when it arrives, a top World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Tuesday.

Dr. Bruce Aylward, head of the joint WHO-Chinese mission on the outbreak, told reporters on return to Geneva that China's "extraordinary mobilisation" to handle the virus outbreak showed how aggressive policy steps could curb the disease's spread.

Authorities should prepare hospital beds, isolation zones and respirators for severe cases, Aylward said, adding: "China knows how to keep people alive."