"Outbreaks of new viruses, such as the Wuhan Coronavirus, are a constant reminder of the need to invest in research in emerging virus biology and evolution, how they infect and interact with human cells, and ultimately, to identify safe and effective drugs to treat – or vaccines to prevent – serious disease."

"Covering your mouth while sneezing, washing your hands, and not putting your hands to your mouth before washing them, could help limit the risk of catching any respiratory virus."

"If this (COVID-19) transmission mode is contributing significantly then control becomes increasingly difficult. It's looking like this coronavirus is behaving very differently to SARS and MERS, and this is a big concern."

"In one well-controlled study in a hospital setting, the face mask was as good at preventing influenza infection as a purpose-made respirator. Respirators, which tend to feature a specialized air filter, are specifically designed to protect against potentially hazardous airborne particles. However, when you move to studies looking at their effectiveness in the general population, the data is less compelling - it's quite a challenge to keep a mask on for prolonged periods of time."

"In essence, it (COVID-19) is a version of SARS that spreads more easily but causes less damage. This indicates that treatments and vaccines developed for SARS should work for the Wuhan virus."

"If the (COVID-19) infected (patient) droplets were sneezed at you by a patient and enters your eyes, they will eventually be washed from your eyes to your nose, as both are connected through what is known as a nasolacrimal duct."

"It (COVID-19) is a close relative to SARS and MERS but not genetically identical."

"If everything moves smoothly, it takes 3-6 weeks to get to the point where you can start testing (the vaccine to treat COVID-19), then you look to see if they can raise an immune response, normally in an animal. You won't start to get human studies until about the beginning of the summer, probably July (2020). But, it's a bit of a moveable feast."