COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic
A nurse treats a COVID-19 patient in an intensive care unit aboard a US hospital ship in April 2020
Confirmed deaths per 100,000 population as of 15 September 2021
Cases per capita Cumulative percentage of population infected as of 22 August 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, Hubei, 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)[3] – present (1 year, 11 months and 1 day)
Confirmed cases	240,786,306[4]
Deaths	4,900,724[4] (reported) 9.5–18.6 million (estimated)[5][6]

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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
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 Misinformation By governments China US Fake treatments Protests US Software Travel restrictions United Nations World Health Organization WTO IP waiver Undercounting of deaths National responses Africa Ghana European Union Germany 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 Bharat Biotech CanSino Janssen Moderna Oxford–AstraZeneca Pfizer–BioNTech Sinopharm Sinovac Sputnik V Zydus Cadila
Variants Alpha Beta Gamma Delta Epsilon Zeta Eta Theta Iota Kappa Lambda Mu Cluster 5 Lineage B.1.617 Variant of concern
Economic impact and recession Arts and culture Aviation Cannabis Cinema films Disney Events 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 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 Protests Pregnancy Prisons Religion Catholic Church Hajj Science and technology Society Ireland Malaysia New Zealand Russia UK US Strikes Xenophobia and racism
COVID-19 portal
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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 in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019; a lockdown in Wuhan and other cities in surrounding Hubei failed to contain the outbreak, and it quickly spread to other parts of mainland China and around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Multiple variants of the virus have emerged and become dominant in many countries since 2021, with the Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants being the most virulent. As of 18 October 2021, more than 240 million cases and 4.9 million deaths have been confirmed, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history.

COVID-19 symptoms range from none to life-threatening. Severe illness is more likely in elderly patients and those with certain underlying medical conditions. Transmission of COVID-19 occurs when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets and small airborne particles. The risk of breathing these in is highest when people are in close proximity, but the virus can transmit over longer distances, particularly indoors and in poorly ventilated areas. Transmission can also occur, rarely, via contaminated surfaces or fluids. People remain contagious for up to 20 days, and can spread the virus even if they do not develop symptoms.

Several vaccines have been approved and distributed in various countries, which have initiated mass vaccination campaigns since December 2020. Other recommended preventive measures include social distancing, wearing face masks in public, ventilation and air-filtering, covering one's mouth when sneezing or coughing, hand washing, disinfecting surfaces, and quarantining people who have been exposed or are symptomatic. Treatments focus on addressing symptoms, but work is underway to develop medications that inhibit the virus. Authorities worldwide have responded by implementing travel restrictions, lockdowns, business closures, workplace hazard controls, testing protocols, and systems for tracing contacts of the infected.

The pandemic has resulted in severe social and economic disruption around the world, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s.^[7] It has led to widespread supply shortages exacerbated by panic buying, agricultural disruption, food shortages, and decreased emissions of pollutants. Numerous educational institutions and public areas have been partially or fully closed, and many events have been cancelled or postponed. Misinformation has circulated through social media and mass media, and political tensions have been exacerbated. The pandemic has raised issues of racial and geographic discrimination, health equity, and the balance between public health imperatives and individual rights.