COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic
Medical professionals treating a COVID-19 patient in critical condition in an ICU in São Paulo in May 2020
Confirmed deaths per 100,000 population as of 15 January 2022
Cases per capita Cumulative percentage of population infected as of 28 November 2021   >10%   3–10%   1–3%   0.3–1%   0.1–0.3%   0.03–0.1%   0–0.03%   None or no data
Disease	Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Virus strain	Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2)
Source	Bats,[1] likely indirectly[2]
Location	Worldwide
Index case	Wuhan, China 30°37′11″N 114°15′28″E / 30.61972°N 114.25778°E / 30.61972; 114.25778
Date	17 November 2019 (2019-11-17) – present (2 years and 2 months)
Confirmed cases	328,649,355[3]
Deaths	5,541,890[3] (reported) 8.7–21.5 million (estimated)[4][5]

Part of a series on the
COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 (disease) SARS-CoV-2 (virus) Cases Deaths
Timeline 2019 2020 January responses February responses March responses April responses May responses June responses July responses August responses September responses October responses November responses December responses 2021 January responses February responses March responses April responses May responses June responses July responses August responses September responses October responses November responses December responses 2022 January responses
Locations By country and territory Africa Antarctica Asia Europe North America Oceania South America By conveyance Cruise ships Naval ships
International response Evacuations Face masks International aid Investigations into origin Lockdowns by country Misinformation by governments China US Fake treatments Protests US Software Travel restrictions United Nations World Health Organization WTO IP waiver Undercounting of deaths Zero-COVID National responses Africa China European Union Germany Ghana India New Zealand Nigeria Philippines Russia Sweden UK government US federal government Vietnam
Medical response Disease testing Breathalyzer Development Drug development Drug repurposing Vaccines History Research VITT Deployment Authorizations Operation Warp Speed Misinformation and hesitancy US Vaccine card Vaccine passports Vaccine candidates CoronaVac Covaxin Convidecia Janssen Moderna Oxford–AstraZeneca Pfizer–BioNTech Sinopharm BIBP Sputnik V
Variants Variants of concern Alpha Beta Gamma Delta Omicron Other variants Epsilon Zeta Eta Theta Iota Kappa Lambda Mu Cluster 5 Lineage B.1.617
Economic impact and recession Arts and culture Aviation Cannabis Cinema films Disney Fashion Financial markets Food industry Canadian meat US meat Food security Journalism Music Performing arts Retail Shipping Sports Ireland Philippines Television US programs Tourism Video games By country Canada India Ireland Malaysia New Zealand Russia UK US
Impacts Animals Black people Crime Ireland Death rates by country Disability Domestic violence Emergency evacuations Education Female Ghana Ireland UK US Environment Hospitals Language LGBT community Long-term care Mental health Symptoms Migration Military Notable deaths South Africa Other health issues Politics Ireland Malaysia Russia Popular culture Protests Pregnancy Prisons Religion Catholic Church Hajj Science and technology Social media Society Ireland Malaysia New Zealand Russia UK US Strikes Suicides Telehealth Xenophobia and racism
COVID-19 portal
v t e

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified from an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, and attempts to contain it there failed, allowing it to spread across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 17 January 2022, the pandemic had caused more than 328 million cases and 5.54 million deaths, making it one of the deadliest in history.

COVID-19 symptoms range from undetectable to deadly. Severe illness is more likely in elderly patients and those with certain underlying medical conditions. COVID‑19 transmits when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets and small airborne particles containing the virus. The risk of breathing these in is highest when people are in close proximity, but they can be inhaled over longer distances, particularly indoors. Transmission can also occur if contaminated fluids reach the eyes, nose or mouth, and, rarely, via contaminated surfaces. Infected persons are typically contagious for 10 days, and can spread the virus even if they do not develop symptoms. Mutations have produced many strains (variants) with varying degrees of infectivity and virulence.^[6][7]

COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and widely distributed in various countries since December 2020. Other recommended preventive measures include social distancing, masking, improving ventilation and air filtration, and quarantining those who have been exposed or are symptomatic. Treatments include monoclonal antibodies,^[8] novel antiviral drugs, and symptom control. Governmental interventions include travel restrictions, lockdowns, business restrictions and closures, workplace hazard controls, quarantines, testing systems, and tracing contacts of the infected.

The pandemic triggered severe social and economic disruption around the world, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression.^[9] Widespread supply shortages, including food shortages, were caused by supply chain disruption and panic buying. The resultant near-global lockdowns saw an unprecedented pollution decrease. Educational institutions and public areas were partially or fully closed in many jurisdictions, and many events were cancelled or postponed. Misinformation circulated through social media and mass media, and political tensions intensified. The pandemic raised issues of racial and geographic discrimination, health equity, and the balance between public health imperatives and individual rights.