On January 23, Chinese authorities shut down the city of Wuhan. In short order, 17 more cities were quarantined, affecting nearly 60 million people.

The orders issued by Beijing were significant, but late in coming: the first official case of the virus was confirmed almost two months ago. That was how long it took for China's state-controlled media to stop downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and start providing the kind of information that can save lives.

By that stage, however, millions of Chinese citizens had passed through the affected region - unaware of the risks involved.

With the death toll now in the hundreds, the number of infected in the thousands, the coronavirus - like the coverage of this story - has gone global.