International Journal of Preventive Medicine (Int J Prev Med)2008-78021312022040625982598ENFaculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, MashhadFaculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, MashhadFaculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, MashhadFaculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, MashhadFaculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, MashhadFaculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad20220405On December 2019, Dr Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan, China, recognized seven patients with SARS‑like illness and warned his colleagues of a possible viral epidemic. He died on February 7, 2020 from the same illness, when it had been identified as coronavirus or COVID‑19 and spread throughout the world. A lesson which can be learned from Dr Li’s story is that COVID‑19 may be first faced by physicians other than pulmonologists or intensive care units staff.http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/view/2598http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/download/2598/717718438