It has been three months since the COVID-19 outbreak first began in China. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic and said it is"deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction."

As the outbreak in China is brought under control, infection numbers are quickly rising elsewhere. Just this week alone, total infections worldwide have more than doubled to 40,000. The death toll has quadrupled.

On Friday, China reported eight additional coronavirus cases, the lowest number since January 18. The nation's main prevention focus has now shifted to imported cases. So far, 85 cases in China have come from abroad, most of them from Iran and Italy. In response, China has set up an emergency center to focus on the growing number of imported cases..

The new center collects overseas epidemic data and communicates with Chinese embassies and consulates around the world. It will also help with arranging quarantines for incoming travelers. Many airports and railway stations across the country are also stepping up their controls.

Shanghai has increased airport screenings. All passengers from seriously affected countries will now be checked. And the capital Beijing, which has a reported 20 imported cases, now requires all travelers from overseas to quarantine for 14-days at home.

Outside China, the situation in South Korea has stabilized this week, with the rate of new infections falling to their lowest level on March 10, standing at 0.5 percent.

However, things do not look good in Italy. Both the total number of infections and the death toll are higher than that of South Korea and also Iran, another country which has been badly affected. What's more alarming in Italy is the death rate. It's significantly higher than in other countries, jumping to above six percent.

And in the U.S., there are now nearly 1,500 confirmed cases. A third are in the state of Washington, followed by New York and California. The White House on Wednesday banned the entry of non-U.S. citizens traveling from Europe for 30 days. Meanwhile, the U.S. health secretary says the country is in the beginning stages of its COVID-19 epidemic.

Although people have realized that viruses know no boundaries, and the WHO has been calling on countries to cooperate, it's been a mixed picture in reality. 

In Europe, Germany, Italy and France have banned the export of protective medical gear, such as masks and gloves. Other members of the EU, including the Netherlands, Belgian and Switzerland, have condemned this behavior, saying the act stands against Europe's spirit of solidarity.

Italy has already requested that the European Union's mechanism of civil protection be activated, which would supply it with medical aid for individual purposes. But unfortunately not a single EU member state has responded to the call.

Only China has responded, bilaterally. China has sent over two million face masks, some 10,000 lung ventilators and 20,000 protective suits, along with 50,000 testing kits to Italy as it faces shortages. And a team of nine medical experts and the 31 tons of medical supplies arrived in Italy late Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, China will also send over five million face masks to South Korea, including surgical and N95 masks. And medical equipment has been sent to Iran, along with a team of expert volunteers from China's Red Cross Society, who have been sharing experience with Iran's Ministry of Health.

Besides, China also announced that it will donate 20 million U.S. dollars to the WHO in support of international cooperation as officials say the country received a lot of help from many countries during the initial outbreak, and now it's time to return the favor.