COVID-19
In December 2019, the world saw the appearance of a severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS-CoV-2, in Wuhan. The virus originated in bats and was transmitted to humans. The number of cases started increasing exponentially. According to the World Health Organization, the massive migration of Chinese during the Chinese New Year fuelled the epidemic. Cases in other provinces of China, other countries (Thailand, Japan, and South Korea in quick succession) were reported in people who were returning from Wuhan. After two months, the World Health Organization reclassified this virus as a pandemic. This virus caused a great danger in the world; most countries declared a state of emergency and implemented quarantine in order to stop the spreading of the virus. We don't yet have an effective medicine against this virus. More than 155 million people are now infected with COVID-19 and more than three million people have died. This chapter will discuss the history and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.