2020 coronavirus pandemic

2020 coronavirus pandemic
Gustavo Basso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	2020 coronavirus pandemic
Date	2019–2021
Location	Worldwide
Causes	Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Deaths	Over 1.8 million (2020)

Contents

2020 coronavirus pandemic The 2020 coronavirus pandemic was a global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 affecting populations across continents, disrupting international travel, public events, and trade. Major affected cities such as Wuhan, Milan, New York City, London, and Madrid experienced healthcare surges while national leaders including Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Angela Merkel, and Jair Bolsonaro managed varied policy responses. International organizations like the World Health Organization, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance coordinated aspects of surveillance, financing, and vaccine distribution.

Background and origins

Early reports emerged from Wuhan and the Hubei province, with links to markets referenced in local media and investigatory reporting by outlets such as The Lancet, Nature, Science, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Virologists at institutions including Wuhan Institute of Virology, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Oxford, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University characterized the novel virus and its relation to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and other zoonotic pathogens. Early case series and phylogenetic analyses involved researchers affiliated with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, National Institutes of Health, Institute Pasteur, and Wellcome Trust-funded teams. International diplomacy involving China–United States relations, European Union institutions, World Health Assembly, G7, and G20 influenced information sharing and travel advisories.

By January and February, transmission had reached major hubs serviced by carriers such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France–KLM, and British Airways, with notable clusters in Daegu, Qom, Bergamo, Seattle, and Tehran. National responses varied from early lockdowns in China and New Zealand to delayed mitigation in Italy, Spain, Brazil, United Kingdom, and United States. Significant events in the timeline included emergency declarations by the World Health Organization, national emergency proclamations by leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and Scott Morrison, and legislative actions by bodies like the United States Congress and the European Parliament. Cross-border coordination involved entities such as NATO, ASEAN, African Union, African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and Pan American Health Organization. Variants and waves affected regions including South America, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe at different times.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions were implemented by municipal and national authorities including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and President Emmanuel Macron. Measures included travel restrictions affecting flights between China and Italy, border controls in Australia and New Zealand, school closures in cities such as Seoul and Tokyo, and mass testing campaigns modeled on programs from South Korea and Taiwan. Contact tracing efforts employed public health agencies like Public Health England, Robert Koch Institute, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public messaging involved figures such as Anthony Fauci, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Chris Whitty, Sajid Javid, and Nancy Messonnier. Debates over mask mandates invoked regulatory agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (United States) and European Medicines Agency.

Hospitals in hotspots such as Lombardy, New York City, Istanbul, Mumbai, and São Paulo faced shortages of ventilators, ICU beds, and personal protective equipment sourced through suppliers in China, Germany, and United States. Clinical descriptions were published by researchers at Mount Sinai Health System, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Hospital detailing presentations including respiratory failure, thromboembolic events, and multisystem inflammatory syndrome observed in children described by pediatricians at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Clinical trials in hospital networks coordinated with academic centers such as Imperial College London and University of Oxford assessed treatment protocols, while emergency use authorizations were considered by agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (United States) and European Medicines Agency.

Economic shocks affected markets and institutions including the New York Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, Tokyo Stock Exchange, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Fiscal responses included stimulus packages legislated by the United States Congress, budget adjustments by the European Commission, and support programs administered by national treasuries such as HM Treasury and Ministry of Finance (Brazil). Unemployment surges impacted sectors employing workers from companies like Walmart, Amazon, McDonald's, Airbnb, and Uber Technologies. Social effects included cancelled cultural events like Euro 2020, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Cannes Film Festival, and SXSW, disruptions to institutions such as Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, and Yale University', and challenges for humanitarian operations run by International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, and United Nations Children's Fund.

Vaccine development accelerated through partnerships including University of Oxford with AstraZeneca, Pfizer with BioNTech, and collaborations involving Moderna (company), GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax. Research consortia such as Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Operation Warp Speed, and COVAX coordinated funding and distribution strategies with organizations like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and World Health Organization. Antiviral and therapeutic trials included studies of remdesivir produced by Gilead Sciences, monoclonal antibodies developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and corticosteroid protocols influenced by investigators at University College London. Peer-reviewed results were published in outlets such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, Nature Medicine, and JAMA, guiding regulatory decisions by agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (United States), European Medicines Agency, and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Category:Pandemics