Health authorities must stay on alert

The new coronavirus responsible for the mysterious pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, has been identified and officially named. There has been no solid evidence of human-to-human transmission, and although epidemic control authorities have conceded it can't be excluded, the probability appears low.

In Wuhan, no new case of infection has been reported since Jan 3. The World Health Organization has advised against any travel or trade restrictions in connection with it.

And, as the WHO and many international observers have pointed out, Chinese authorities have demonstrated impressive transparency, responsiveness, efficiency and capability in dealing with the public health emergency, in sharp contrast with the 2002-03 SARS crisis, when the initial cover-up, poor preparedness for such an epidemic and lax management resulted in the outbreak spreading to 26 countries, infecting thousands and killing nearly 800.