thumb|Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 per million people SARS-CoV-2, a new strain of coronavirus, was first detected in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. The outbreak was characterized as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) between January 2020 and May 2023 by WHO. The number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached more than 767 million worldwide, with a death toll of 6.9 million. It is considered likely that the virus will eventually become endemic and, like the common cold, cause less severe disease for most people.
thumb|Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 per million people SARS-CoV-2 a new strain of coronavirus, was first detected in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. The outbreak was characterized as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) between January 2020 and May 2023 by WHO The number of people infected with COVID-19 has reached more than 767 million worldwide, with a death toll of 69 million. It is considered likely that the virus will eventually become endemic and, like the common cold, cause less severe disease for most people.