text: COVID 19 pandemic and reasons to prioritize the needs of the health care system to ensure its sustainability A scoping review from January to October 2020 Review The worldwide spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARS CoV 2 led the World Health Organization to characterize the pandemic as a public health emergency of international concern National health care systems in countries during the initial surge of the pandemic were unable to handle the sanitarian crisis that had emerged Thus the prevention and control of future global health emergencies must be a priority The present scoping review aimed to retrieve articles that summarize the current experience on issues related to historical knowledge and epidemiology clinical features and overall burden of SARS CoV 2 on health care services In summary a comprehensive overview of the information that has been learnt during this period is presented in the current review Furthermore taking into account the global experience the need for planning cohesive and functional health services before similar pandemic events occur in the future is highlighted The next public health issue should be prevented rather than treated In spite of the vaccination benefits a number of sporadic cases of SARS CoV 2infections will persist Information collected remains relevant for appraising how similar threats can be faced in the future Overall collaborative health care plans need to be rethought to increase preparedness 