The 20 countries in the world best prepared for an epidemic like coronavirus still aren't really all that ready

The Netherlands received top scores for its capacity to test and approve new medical countermeasures, risk communication, and links between public and health and security authorities. The country also had near-perfect scores for healthcare access and socioeconomic resilience.

So far, the Netherlands has 382 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

The UK received the highest score among all 195 countries in the study for its rapid response capabilities, with perfect scores for exercising response plans, links between public health and security authorities, trade and travel restrictions, and risk communication.

So far, the UK has 373 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

The US had the highest scores among all 195 countries in the study in several categories, including prevention of the emergence or release of pathogens, early detection and reporting of epidemics, and overall health system capacity. However, the country's score for healthcare access was below the global average.

Despite the country's high score on this ranking, the US government's response to the coronavirus outbreak has come under criticism from public health experts and others. Testing rates in the US have been much lower than in other countries affected by the virus, meaning that the extent of the outbreak remains unclear.

So far, the US has 763 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.