Call for international cooperation and collaboration to effectively tackle the COVID-19 pandemic

The world is facing an unprecedented challenge in every place that is affected by the spreading COVID-19 pandemic. With China recording fewer and fewer cases, Europe and the Americas have become the epicenter of the pandemic since mid-March 2020, respectively accounting for 54.8% (621,407) and 27.8% (315,714) of 1,133,758 confirmed cases globally as of April 5. Moreover, the number of confirmed cases in the US (273,808), Spain (124,736), Italy (124,632), and Germany (91,714) has exceeded the number in China (82,930) so far. International cooperation and coordination are essential to tackling this pandemic in terms of both assistance with emergency medical supplies and medical technical assistance. Coordinated global action has been called for by the World Health Organization (WHO), G7, G20, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and other bodies. More effective actions are urgently needed to protect the most vulnerable, including older people and people with an underlying medical condition, as well as healthcare workers, who are most frequently exposed and who are vital to the response.