No sooner had the fireworks, celebrating the dawn of a new decade, faded when health-care systems in China and, later, globally were threatened by the emergence of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. Medical resources in China and the rest of Asia have been stretched thin in an attempt to contain the spread of what is thought to be a particularly infectious zoonosis. This viral outbreak was first reported in late December 2019 as a cluster outbreak in Wuhan, China, and was linked to a seafood and wholesale wet market. It has now spread to involve countries across multiple continents, stretching as far as the United States, Italy, and Australia. The World Health Organization (WHO) has since declared this novel coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency, calling for global solidarity and a concerted international effort to stem this burgeoning epidemic. As of March 13, 2020, this coronavirus has infected 145,336 patients and claimed 5,416 lives. These numbers are increasing on a daily basis as screening and diagnostic efforts are being stepped up with heightened vigilance.

This COVID-19 epidemic is not the first infectious disease outbreak to hit Singapore, nor will it be the last. In 2003, our health-care system was abruptly stressed with the emergence of the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) crisis, with 238 infections (including health-care professionals) and 33 deaths. Since then, Singapore has progressively strengthened its ability and resilience in managing further infectious disease outbreaks. Among others, this has included the construction of new purpose-built medical treatment and quarantine facilities at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore. Importantly, our lessons from SARS have also culminated in the development and adoption of a systematic outbreak response system, termed DORSCON (Disease Outbreak Response System Condition). DORSCON is a color-coded framework (green, yellow, orange, and red) depicting various alert levels corresponding to disease severity and spread. This has served us well during the SARS and H1N1 influenza outbreaks and is currently used in managing the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.