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The above contributing editors to this e-book/hardback are fair-minded scientists and clinicians from different countries with well-considered and debated views. Before this task, we have worked together over many years and whilst working on this project have had weekly meetings/debates with the digital platform provided by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). We strove to be non-political, rational in our outlook, and to cover the topics relevant to the pandemic as comprehensively as possible. Such meetings have meant we could be up to date with global progress relating to the pandemic. Our publishing editor, Drew Gwilliams, from the Royal Society of Chemistry, was present at each weekly meeting and coordinated the online release of preprint chapters in the Chemistry World Reading Room. Chemistry World is ably edited by Adam Brownsell. Given the pace of the pandemic and the lag in peer reviewed publications we were obliged and compelled to consult preprints and authoritative media sources. We made the deliberate decision to release the book chapters as preprints at six-month intervals. The early release of preprints and publication of the e-book and hardback would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of each of our editors and the many scientists and clinicians from around the world who freely gave of their time and talent to this publication. Conceptually and originally the book was to have been about translational toxicology as a part of the RSC “Issues in Toxicology” Series. As it turned out the book embraces virology, epidemiology, translational toxicology, and therapeutics. We have gathered as much information as we have been able to within the limits of available time and talent. We have attempted to make this information freely available and intelligible to both the interested layman and the expert. We have sought to be inclusive of all concepts of ways in which to prevent, respond to and treat the disease.