Since 2003 the world has faced 3 outbreaks caused by coronaviruses. Although the family of coronaviruses is already known by the medical community, the new virus (SARS-CoV-2) is different, aggressive and highly contagious. In a hyperconnected world, the virus spread is following an exponential function and its ability to adapt is almost impossible to predict.
Humankind faces difficulties in reacting properly because of the following reasons:
the current procedures are slow, bureaucratic and inappropriate for such situations
in the recent past, big pharma needed 20 months to produce a vaccine for previous coronaviruses
although the research is heading in the right direction, finding a practical and scalable solution has proven to be extremely difficult
the panic is accelerating and leads to closed borders, interrupted supply chains, overwhelmed healthcare systems, economic and political instability