When is the “tipping point” of the 2019 coronavirus outbreak? We won’t know when the outbreak reached its tipping point until after it is over. Sometimes, in the case of a new disease, viruses can come back after appearing to be suppressed. WHO therefore tends to err on the side of caution in making predictions that “the disease has passed an inflection point” or that “the disease is improving”. In any case, we expect more cases to be reported from China and other countries in the coming days and weeks. We should continue to take good personal protection measures over the next few days. For the general public, wearing gloves is not nearly as beneficial as washing your hands regularly. Moreover, wearing gloves may give people a false sense of security, which may increase their risk of exposure to the virus. For example, touching one’s face with a gloved hand after having touched the surface of a contaminated object. To be truly protective, gloves must be -used once or properly washed and kept dry. It is more practical and effective for the public to wash their hands frequently with soap and water or with alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizers.