On 31 December 2019, WHO was informed of cases of
pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan City, China. A
novel coronavirus was identified as the cause by Chinese
authorities on 7 January 2020 and was temporarily
named "2019-nCoV".
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that
cause illness ranging from the common cold to more
severe diseases. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new
strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
The new virus was subsequently named the "COVID-19
virus"
On 30 January 2020, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
WHO Director-General declared the novel coronavirus
outbreak a public health emergency of international
concern (PHEIC), WHO's highest level of alarm. At that
time there were 98 cases and no deaths in 18 countries
outside China.
On 11 March 2020, the rapid increase in the number of
cases outside China led the WHO Director-General to
announce that the outbreak could be characterized as a
pandemic. By then more than 118 000 cases had been
reported in 114 countries, and 4291 deaths had been
recorded.
By mid-March 2020, the WHO European Region had
become the epicentre of the epidemic, reporting over 40%
of globally confirmed cases. As of 28 April 2020, 63% of
global mortality from the virus was from the Region.
Since the first cases were reported, WHo has worked
around the clock to support countries to prepare and
respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the words of Dr
Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe,
"Through transparent knowledge-sharing, tailored support
on the ground, and steadfast solidarity, we will beat
COVID-19."
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