As cases of the new coronavirus surge outside of China, world health officials said Monday that other countries should start preparing for epidemic outbreaks of COVID-19 to cross their borders. “It is time to do everything you would do in preparing for a pandemic,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies program, told reporters at a news briefing at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva. “We’re still trying to avoid that reality. We’re still trying to avoid that eventuality.” In the past week, the virus has spread substantially outside of China. In Italy, the virus ... (full story)