The World Health Organisation's head for the Western Pacific says the region's countries should be ready for large scale transmission of Covid-19.
Takeshi Kasai warns the epidemic is far from over and people should be prepared for a long-term battle.
However, Dr Kasai said countries in Asia show there are successful ways of slowing the spread of the pandemic.
WHO's Western Pacific Regional Director Dr Takeshi Kasai Photo: Supplied/ Infinity Images Fiji
He said these include finding, isolating and testing cases early.
Dr Kasai said tracing and quarantining contacts quickly as well as stopping physical interaction is also proven to help.
"But we need to be clear that even with all of these measures, the risk will not go away as long as the pandemic continues. Rather, these measures can buy us valuable time to prepare for large scale community transmission."