How is it transmitted? What are the symptoms? And which precautionary measures are recommended to stop it spreading?
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Coronavirus: Timeline of the global spread of COVID-19
Since the first cases were confirmed in December 2019, the flu-like COVID-19 virus exploded into a global pandemic, killing tens of thousands of people and infecting around 800,000. Scientists scramble for a vaccine.
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Pneumonia-like virus hits Wuhan
On December 31, 2019, China notifies the World Health Organization of a string of respiratory infections in the city of Wuhan, home to some 11 million people. The root virus is unknown and disease experts around the world begin working to identify it. The strain is traced to a seafood market in the city, which is quickly shut down. Some 40 people are initially reported to be infected.
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First death in China
On January 11, China announces the first death from the coronavirus — a 61-year-old man, who had shopped at the Wuhan market, dies from complications with pneumonia. Like SARS and the common cold, scientists identified that the new virus is in the coronavirus family. It is temporarily named 2019-nCoV. Symptoms include fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia.
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Virus reaches neighboring countries
In the following days, countries such as Thailand and Japan begin to report cases of infections in people who had visited the same Wuhan market. In China, a second fatality is confirmed in the city. By January 20, three people have died in China and more than 200 are infected.
Image: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Millions under lockdown
China places Wuhan on quarantine on January 23 in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus. Transportation is suspended and workers attempt to quickly build a new hospital to treat infected patients, which total over 830 by January 24, as the death toll climbs to 26. Officials eventually extend the lockdown to 13 other cities, affecting at least 36 million people.
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A global health emergency?
More and more cases are confirmed outside of China, including in South Korea, the US, Nepal, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. As the number of infections rises, the World Health Organization on January 23 determines that it's "too early" to declare a global public health emergency.
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Coronavirus reaches Europe
On January 24, French authorities confirm three cases of the new coronavirus within its borders, marking the disease's first appearance in Europe. Hours later, Australia confirms four people have been infected with the respiratory virus.
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First cases confirmed in Germany
On January 27, Germany announces its first known case of the virus — a 33-year-old in Bavaria who contracted it during a workplace training with a visiting Chinese colleague. He is put under quarantine and observation at a Munich hospital. The following day, three of his colleagues are confirmed infected. The death toll in China reaches 132, with around 6,000 infected worldwide.
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WHO declares global health emergency
On January 30, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) declares coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern in a bid to protect countries with "weaker health systems." However, WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus does not recommend trade and travel restrictions, saying these would be "an unnecessary disruption."
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First death outside China
The first death linked to the novel coronavirus outside of China is reported in the Philippines on February 2. A 44-year-old Chinese man had traveled from Wuhan to Manila before falling ill and being taken to hospital, where he later died of pneumonia.
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Bad ending to a cruise
Also on February 3, the cruise ship Diamond Princess is quarantined off Yokohama in Japan after cases of the new coronavirus were found on board. As of February 17, the number of people infected has grown to more than 450, the largest cluster of cases outside of China. Several of the 3,700 passengers and crew onboard the ship are being or have been flown back to their home countries.
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Italy under quarantine
Cases in Italy rise dramatically, with 77 deaths and thousands of confirmed cases by March 3. Many countries instigate travel restrictions to northern Italy and tourist numbers plummet. On March 8, the Italian government put the entire Lombardy region into quarantine, affecting 16 million people. March 10 sees 168 fatalities in Italy, the highest in a single day.
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Economic woes
European and US stock markets slump on March 6, leading to the worst week since the 2008 financial crisis. The effect on global business has been significant, with many companies reporting losses and the tourism industry and airlines badly hit. The EU pledge €7.5 billion ($8.4 billion) on March 10 in an investment fund to try to stop the Eurozone falling into a recession.
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WHO declares outbreak as pandemic
As worldwide cases top 127,000 and deaths pass 4,700, the World Health Organization designates the global outbreak as a "pandemic" on March 11. US President Donald Trump announces a travel restriction on people coming from the Schengen Zone in Europe, annoying the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces that in Germany, 70% of the population could get the virus.
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Public life on hold in Europe
On March 14, Spain joins Italy in imposing a near-total nationwide lockdown to prevent the virus spreading. The population of 46 million is told not to leave their homes unless for essential tasks. In France, cafés, restaurants and non-essential shops are closed as of March 15. Many public events in Germany are cancelled and schools close.
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International travel severely restricted
As of March 15, many countries impose strict travel bans or restrictions in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19. For example, New Zealand and Australia require all international passengers to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in the country. The US extends a European travel ban to include the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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Germany imposes partial lockdown
In a landmark televised address German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces far-reaching restrictions on everyday life on March 22, banning meetings between more than two people not from the same household outside of the workplace. The country has a surprisingly low death rate, a phenomenon attributed to a high level of testing, and a high number of intensive care beds.
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Virus strikes at top as UK locks down
On March 23rd Britain becomes the latest country to impose restrictions on personal freedoms, with people only allowed to leave their homes in a limited number of circumstances. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is diagnosed with the viruson March 27, as well as heir to the throne Prince Charles on March 25. Meanwhile, there are complaints that not everyone is taking social distancing seriously.
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Grim milestone for the US
On March 27 the US overtakes China in terms of the number of people infected, making it the country with the most cases of COVID-19. This came as President Donald Trump claimed that the nation would get back to work "pretty quickly." At the same time, it emerged that more than 3 million Americans had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. New York is worst-hit, with a hospital ship sent to help out.
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Spain's surging death toll
Spain also overtakes China in the number of COVID-19 cases on March 30, as the government toughens the severity of its lockdown. All non-essential activities are halted. Only Italy has a higher death toll than Spain. Most affected is the capital, Madrid. With funeral services overwhelmed, officials turn the Palacio de Hielo ice skating rink into a temporary morgue.
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More than a million
On April 2nd the Johns Hopkins University announced on Thursday that there were more than a million confirmed coronavirus cases around the world. The US is the most affected with three times the number than China, where the virus emerged in December. Over 50.000 people have died — and the outlook remains grim.
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UK PM Boris Johnson hospitalized
The 55-year-old was admitted to the intensive care unit at London's St Thomas hospital on Monday evening (6.4.) and was given oxygen treatment after his condition worsened. He had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 27.
Image: AFP/10 Downing Street
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How is the virus transmitted?
The new coronavirus can be transmitted between humans, according to Chinese health authorities. It is also adapting and mutating, which could make the virus spread faster and possibly more difficult to treat.
It is not yet clear how infectious the virus is. The first infections were detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan and traced back to a wild animal and fish market, which has now been shut down. The virus might have been transmitted through direct contact between humans and animals, or simply via the air like many germs.
Viruses that can spread between humans and animals cause so-called zoonotic diseases. Such viruses may be transmitted when humans consume meat or animal products — or if such products were insufficiently heated or prepared in an unsanitary environment.
What are the symptoms?
Patients who have contracted the virus have had fever, shortness of breath and coughing. The virus can also cause pneumonia, an infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs and can cause them to fill with fluid or pus. Elderly citizens tend to be more often affected by the virus than younger people.
Since the virus broke out in December last year, it has infected thousands of people across China. Cases have also been reported in dozens of other countries, including Germany.
What do we know about the virus?
Experts recently decoded the coronavirus' gene sequence, which is also known as 2019-nCoV. Coronaviruses were first discovered in the 1960s and their name derives from their crown or halo-like shape. Viruses of this kind are not per se lethal. Sometimes, they also lead to gastrointestinal disorders and diarrhea, in particular.
A number of governments have begun screening air passengers from ChinaImage: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
But coronaviruses, which are RNA viruses, are also extremely adaptable and genetically diverse. This means they can easily spread between and infect different species. While some coronaviruses can cause the common cold, others can develop into more serious illnesses that lead to difficulty breathing, pneumonia and even death.
In 2002 and 2003, for example, the aggressive SARS-CoV coronavirus led to an epidemic in 30 countries. Worldwide, more than 8,000 people became infected with the virus, about 1,000 died. And in 2012, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was discovered on the Arabian Peninsula.
What can be done to stop the outbreak?
China has put the most-affected area of the country — home to about 50 million people — effectively on lockdown in an effort to stop the spread.
Airports around the world — and particularly in China — have introduced fever checks for passengers traveling from China. Many airlines have begun to halt flights to affected areas.
The World Health Organization is considering whether to declare the outbreak an international public health emergency, which could mean further restrictions for international travel.
As always, it is advisable to practice good hygiene and caution, for example by avoiding close contact with individuals suffering from acute respiratory infections, or wild animals or livestock, dead or alive. People should wash their hands regularly, especially after being in direct contact with an infected person.
Coronaviruses were first discovered in the 1960s and their name derives from their corona-like shapeImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Center for Disease Control
How has it been impacting the economy?
Concerns over the virus have sent Asian stock markets tumbling. The memory of the economic damage caused by the SARS epidemic between 2002 and 2003 is still fresh, with people concerned about the impact on the tourism and travel industries as well as limitations to consumer spending.
