By addressing considerations of efficacy and safety of drugs and chemicals used to combat COVID-19, virtually in real-time, this book documents and highlights the advances in science and place the toxicology, pharmaceutical science, public health and medical community in a better position to advise in future epidemics.

This first volume chronicles the early stages of the outbreak and world-wide spread of SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) and delineates the role of several disciplines in therapeutic and control measures. Documenting the epidemiologic response from China, and the clinical evaluation, pathology and intial therapeutics that were available during the first 6 months and onwards of the outbreak, this book records how the response to the pandemic was mounted and how various branches of science and research combined to rapidly expand our understanding of the disease.

The aim of this book was to provide information on the Coronavirus pandemic as soon as it became available and was initially published as free to read preprints available at Chemistry World (https: //www.chemistryworld.com/reading-room). This project is a chronicle of the outbreak and represents information known at the time and forecasts for the immediate future with perspectives from many countries around the globe as well as their early response to the public health emergency.