The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020. Soon after, the Coronavirus Global Response was initiated to kick-start the rapid development and deployment of affordable diagnostics, and vaccines against COVID-19. Fundamental preventive measures were developed worldwide to mitigate the spreading of COVID-19, and in Portugal these measures included early lockdown, the use of face masks and social distancing. However, these measures have led to ongoing dramatic economical, healthcare, and societal consequences. In comparison with COVID-19, the swine flu H1N1 pandemic in 2009 was spread even more rapidly. However, it was associated with a much lower infection fatality rate and was less driven by clustering effects and mass gatherings than COVID-19.

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