On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. In just two years, the virus and its strain on healthcare systems led to nearly 15 million deaths worldwide.
The outbreak began in December 2019, when doctors in Wuhan, China, identified a cluster of pneumonia cases linked to a seafood market. By January, infections spread beyond China, with the first U.S. case confirmed on Jan. 21. WHO declared a global health emergency as governments scrambled to contain the virus.
Lockdowns, border closures, and mass quarantines disrupted daily life and economies. Hospitals in Italy and Spain were overwhelmed, while businesses collapsed. Scientists identified the virus as SARS-CoV-2, and by late 2020, vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna offered hope.
By 2023, the researchers behind mRNA vaccines received the Nobel Prize in medicine. Vaccines helped curb severe cases, but COVID-19 evolved into an ongoing health threat, now managed like seasonal flu. Health experts warn it remains fatal for some.
