Capacity-wise, the survey indicates that European specialised laboratories are prepared for the current situation, and suggests that a more sensitive case definition than currently in use [10,16] would not create an immediate bottleneck. However, it remains to be seen how realistic the estimates are, particularly in view of the coinciding seasonal epidemic peaks of other respiratory pathogens such as influenza viruses. This will depend on the epidemiological developments in the 2019-nCoV outbreak and on whether the current worldwide control strategy of containment with active case finding [5] will be sustained and the indicated laboratory capacity will suffice. If the outbreak turns into a pandemic, specialised laboratories’ efforts would refocus to reference activities like confirmatory testing, laboratory surveillance including virus characterisation, provision of reference materials and advice, while general testing for 2019-nCoV would shift to first-line hospital laboratories that currently do not have this capacity. This would require a roll-out of tests from the specialised laboratories as was done during the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic.