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COVID 19 Pandemic
About COVID 19 Pandemic
COVID 19 was caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The WHO declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The virus spread to every continent including Antarctica. As of 2024, more than 7 million deaths had been reported to the WHO, and excess mortality estimates are considerably higher. The pandemic triggered unprecedented lockdowns, travel restrictions, and economic disruption. Global GDP contracted by roughly 3 percent in 2020, according to IMF estimates. Vaccines were developed in record time, with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine authorized in December 2020, less than one year after the virus was identified. The pandemic accelerated remote work, e-commerce, and digital transformation. Variants including Alpha, Delta, and Omicron drove successive waves. One widely cited 2023 estimate put the number of people with long COVID worldwide at 65 million or more. The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in global health systems, supply chains, and pandemic preparedness.
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