2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
Gustavo Basso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
Disease	Coronavirus disease 2019
Virus strain	Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
First outbreak	Wuhan, Hubei, China
Dates	2019–2020

Contents

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was a global outbreak of a novel coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 and spread across continents in 2020, disrupting international travel, public gatherings, and supply chains. Major international organizations such as the World Health Organization, United Nations, European Union, World Bank, and national authorities including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Health Commission (China) coordinated responses while scientific institutions like the National Institutes of Health, Harvard University, University of Oxford, Wuhan Institute of Virology, and Johns Hopkins University led research and surveillance.

Background and origin

Early reports traced the outbreak to a cluster of pneumonia cases associated with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan within Hubei province, China, prompting investigations by teams from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and researchers affiliated with institutions such as the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Genetic analyses conducted by groups at the National Institutes of Health, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Fudan University, and the Pasteur Institute compared sequences to related coronaviruses in bats and pangolins catalogued by the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and the US Geological Survey. Political entities including the State Council of the People's Republic of China, United States Department of State, European Commission, and national legislatures debated transparency, travel restrictions, and emergency powers during the initial phase.

After initial clusters in Wuhan, cases appeared in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and then internationally in cities like Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Milan, New York City, London, Paris, and Sao Paulo, linked by routes of airlines such as American Airlines, Air China, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Japan Airlines. The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern while national leaders from the White House, Downing Street, Élysée Palace, Chancellery (Germany), and other executive offices imposed travel bans, evacuation flights, and border controls. Regional bodies including the African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Gulf Cooperation Council, Mercosur, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization coordinated logistics, medical supplies, and repatriation operations as outbreaks produced hotspots in Lombardy, New York State, Madrid, Lima, and Tehran.

The causative agent, identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by taxonomic authorities such as the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses and studied in laboratories at Mount Sinai Hospital, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Karolinska Institute, and Mayo Clinic, is an enveloped RNA virus related to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Virologists from University of California, San Francisco, University of Hong Kong, University of Sydney, and McMaster University characterized the spike protein, receptor binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and modes of transmission including droplets, fomites, and aerosol-generating procedures in settings like hospitals, long-term care facilities, meat processing plants, and cruise ships such as Diamond Princess. Public health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health England, Health Canada, and Australian Department of Health issued guidance on incubation periods, asymptomatic carriage, and infection control measures.

Responses included non-pharmaceutical interventions promoted by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and national ministries of health such as social distancing, mask mandates, quarantine, contact tracing by teams trained at institutions like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Karolinska Institutet, and large-scale testing using assays developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fosun Pharma, Roche, Abbott Laboratories, and academic labs. Lockdowns implemented in jurisdictions including Wuhan, Lombardy, New York State, Île-de-France, and Madrid affected public transit operated by authorities like Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), Transport for London, and Paris Métro. International coordination involved the G7, G20, United Nations Security Council, humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, and supply initiatives in partnership with companies like 3M, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.

Healthcare systems in regions served by institutions such as Mount Sinai Health System, NHS England, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Fédération Hospitalière de France faced surges in demand for intensive care, ventilators from manufacturers like GE Healthcare and Medtronic, personal protective equipment produced by 3M and Honeywell, and staffing strain affecting professionals trained at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Karolinska University Hospital, and Beijing Union Medical College Hospital. Mortality spikes occurred in long-term care settings administered by entities like Veterans Health Administration and led to excess-death analyses by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Oxford, and Imperial College London.

The pandemic interrupted supply chains linking companies such as Apple Inc., Toyota, Boeing, and Siemens and precipitated economic interventions by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Federal Reserve Board, European Central Bank, and national treasuries including the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Labor markets overseen by agencies like the U.S. Department of Labor and Eurostat saw increased unemployment, while educational closures affected institutions including Peking University, University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Melbourne, and University of São Paulo. Cultural events like the 2020 Summer Olympics, Cannes Film Festival, and Coachella were canceled or postponed; sports leagues such as the National Basketball Association, English Premier League, and La Liga suspended seasons.

Rapid research efforts at institutions including Moderna, Pfizer, BioNTech, AstraZeneca, University of Oxford, Sinovac, Gamaleya Research Institute, and the National Institutes of Health pursued therapeutics and vaccines using platforms such as mRNA, viral vectors, and inactivated viruses. Clinical trials coordinated by networks like the World Health Organization's Solidarity trial, RECOVERY Trial at University of Oxford, and groups at NIH and NIHR evaluated antivirals, monoclonal antibodies from companies like Regeneron, corticosteroids such as dexamethasone, and repurposed drugs studied by teams at University of Minnesota, Mount Sinai, and Mayo Clinic.

Category:Pandemics