The data tell us that COVID-19 is spreading exponentially. The number of confirmed cases in the UK has increased from 36 on 1 March to 1140 on Saturday – a daily growth rate of 119 per cent. If this pattern continues, the number of confirmed cases will exceed 15,000 by the end of the month, and this is just the reported tip of the iceberg.

In China we have seen that the spread of infections has dropped significantly since Chinese New Year. A clinician and friend at the Xi'an University Hospital tells me that there have been no new cases in his area for the past 21 days, but they are still on lock-down.

The Chinese have cut the coronavirus spread by introducing extreme quarantine measures, which has been both self-imposed and Government enforced. The Chinese public have worn face masks in public and the Chinese government co-ordinated food deliveries through online platform WeChat.

The attitude to the approach taken by society in China seems to be very different to that taken in the UK. In China face masks are worn to stop people spreading the virus to others. In the UK people are fighting the urge for a firm handshake while drinking and eating in hospital coffee shops and canteens.