H1N1 Was The Last Pandemic. Here's Why COVID-19 Isn't Yet In That Category

"Despite worrisome new outbreaks in Iran, Italy and South Korea, the coronavirus disease called COVID-19 is not currently a pandemic, the World Health Organization said today."

"In fact, there are some encouraging trends, especially in Hubei Province, where most of the cases have been reported."

"The epidemic there appears to have plateaued in late January and is continuing on a good trajectory. Dr. Bruce Aylward led a WHO trip to China with a scientific delegation that just concluded. On Sunday, he told reporters in Beijing that trend is real."

"Aylward said that he'd spoken to a researcher in Wuhan who is testing potential drugs to treat COVID-19'and when I asked him what challenge they're finding in trying to implement the trial, he said the single biggest one is recruiting new patients ... because of the drop in cases.'"

"That's a good kind of problem. The message from China is that it's not hopeless, he says. It is possible to control this disease."

"'Now we're starting to see countries like Italy take extremely aggressive actions,' Aylward said. 'What China has demonstrated is you have to do this, and if you do it you can save lives and prevent thousands of cases of what is a very difficult disease.'"