March 11 marks one year since the World Health Organization described COVID as a pandemic. With vaccine issues still prevalent, the end of the coronavirus is not yet in sight.
March 11 marks exactly one year since the WHO described the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemicImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Geisler-Fotopress
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DW correspondents share how countries worldwide are coping with pandemic
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Thursday marked one year since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), with various global leaders expressing cautious optimism about the future.
Today, the path out of the pandemic is still not yet clear, with more contagious mutations threatening to hinder the progress made by vaccinations, which were successfully produced after a lightning-fast quest last year.
What happened one year ago?
When the WHO declared the coronavirus a pandemic one year ago, it did so only after weeks of resisting the term and maintaining that the highly infectious virus could still be stopped.
The WHO waved its first significant warning flag on January 30, 2020, by describing the outbreak as an international health emergency, though praising China for its efforts in preventing the novel virus from spreading.
Only when WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared a "pandemic'" six weeks later, on March 11, did most governments take action.
But by then, it was too late, and the virus had reached every continent except Antarctica.
Following the WHO's pandemic declaration, lockdowns were implemented like dominoes across the globe, with varying degrees of stringency and success.
Social distancing and mask-wearing became the norm as sports events were canceled and global travel, as well as economies, ground to a halt.
One year on from WHO declaration, DW correspondents take stock
Israel
"One year on, Israel is one of the leading nations when it comes to vaccination campaigns against COVID-19," according to DW's Tania Krämer in Jerusalem. "Over 50% of Israelis have received at least one dose of the vaccine. But health officials are still concerned about the new variants."
South Africa
"Despite the problems and the economic hardship, people here are trying to remain optimistic and there are reasons for that," DW correspondent Adrian Kriesch said in Cape Town. "The second wave was not as bad as predicted, especially considering the new mutation of the virus that was discovered here in South Africa for the first time."
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India
"A year ago, India was just beginning to talk about the coronavirus, and many of the people we spoke to were skeptical about just how serious it is," DW's Nimisha Jaiswal said from Delhi. "With markets, airports and even some offices almost returning to normal, many are once again wondering just how seriously they still need to take the coronavirus."
More than 2.6 million people have since died from the virus, according to the Johns Hopkins University, a staggering toll unimaginable before the virus swept the globe.
Now, one year on, countries are hoping vaccines will clear the path to a return to normal, but the rollout has been uneven globally, with demand far outstripping supply.
What challenges remain?
A year after declaring a pandemic, the WHO is grappling with vaccine nationalism, as it tries to keep up with the rapidly evolving science surrounding COVID-19.
Virus bomber and corona hair: The Germans' creative pandemic language
Ever since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis a year ago, people in Germany have been using new words. Here are some of the terms that emerged from the pandemic.
Image: Weber/ Eibner-Pressefoto/picture alliance
Lockdown
"Lockdown" and "shutdown" have became part of everyday vocabulary in Germany. And since they're also combined with descriptive terms, the possibilities of creating new words are endless: "hard" and "light" were the most popular, but "yo-yo," referring to ever-changing lockdown rules, was another one, as well as "Flockdown," when heavy snow ("Flocken"=flakes) keeps everyone inside anyway.
Image: Rupert Oberhäuser/picture alliance
Maskenmuffel
The term Maskenmuffel, which combines the words mask and the colloquial word for grump quickly emerged last year when people in Germany, too, were required to wear face masks in trains, on busses and in stores. Some "grumps" refuse to wear facial coverings — but face fines if caught.
Image: picture alliance / ZB
Abstandsbier
Remember packed bars and crowded beer gardens? These days, Germans can count themselves lucky if they can get together for what has emerged as Abstandsbier — literally a "distance beer," a neologism that refers to having a drink with someone while keeping a safe distance.
Image: Wolfram Steinberg/dpa/picture alliance
Corona-Matte
In mid-December 2020, hair salons in Germany were closed down. Their customers' hair didn't stop growing, which led to the neologism "corona mat." To everyone's great relief the salons were allowed to reopen on March 1 because of what was deemed their "importance for personal hygiene." No gardening shears required.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Ringhofer
Distanzunterricht
When schools are shut down, that means online classes and remote learning courses for teachers and students. The German term for this, "Distanzunterricht" translates as "distance classes." The alternative came with overloaded servers and technical glitches: the present situation shows how badly German schools struggle with digitalization.
Image: picture-alliance/Eibner-Pressefoto/Weber
Impfdrängler
The issue of vaccinations is a touchy one in Germany, with vaccines trickling in much too slowly and confusion surrounding the effectiveness of one particular vaccine for older people. Meanwhile, some people who weren't on the priority list used their position to jump the queue and get vaccinated sooner. But "Impfdrängler," or vaccine cheats, face hefty fines.
Image: Patrick Pleul/dpa/picture alliance
Wellenbrecher
In reactions to the different waves of COVID infections, the restrictions set up in Germany were referred to as a "Wellenbrecher," a wave-breaker, or breakwater. The term was used extensively last fall when stricter measures were introduced like a kind of protective structure to stem another wave of infections.
Image: K. Schmitt/Fotostand/picture alliance
Virenbomber
Wherever you look, there is the "fight" or the "war" against the virus. So the "Virenbomber" (virus bomber) is a fitting image, referring to people or perhaps even institutions that allegedly contribute greatly to the spread of COVID-19.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/PA/Jordan
Homeoffice
Germans call working from home instead of from the office "home office." It is not a new term, but has been used much more frequently during the pandemic. The German government stipulates that employers must offer their employees the option to work from home wherever possible to bring down infection numbers.
