Theresa Tam is a Canadian physician and public servant. On June 26, 2017, Tam was appointed to the position of Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and head of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Tam acted as Chief Public Health Officer of Canada after the retirement of Gregory Taylor in December 2016 until her formal appointment by Canadian Minister of Health Jane Philpott in 2017.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus strain that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness. Colloquially known as the coronavirus, it was previously referred to by its provisional name 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus. It is contagious in humans, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
A coronavirus disease, coronavirus respiratory syndrome, coronavirus pneumonia, coronavirus flu, or any other variant, is a disease caused by members of the coronavirus (CoV) family.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences is a research institute on virology administered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Located in Jiangxia District, Wuhan, Hubei, it opened mainland China's first biosafety level 4 (BSL–4) laboratory in 2015.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, and has since spread globally, resulting in the ongoing 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. As of 3 May 2020, more than 3.5 million cases have been reported across 187 countries and territories, resulting in more than 247,000 deaths. More than 1.12 million people have recovered.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic of COVID-19 has resulted in conspiracy theories and misinformation regarding its origin, scale, and the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. False information, including intentional disinformation, has been spread through social media, text messages, and mass media, including the state media of countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and Turkmenistan. It has been propagated by celebrities, politicians, and other prominent public figures. Commercial scams have claimed to offer at-home tests, supposed preventives, and "miracle" cures. Other actors have claimed the virus is a bio-weapon with a patented vaccine, a population control scheme, or the result of a spy operation. The World Health Organization has declared an "infodemic" of incorrect information about the virus, which poses risks to global health.
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spread to the United States in January 2020. The first U.S. case was identified on January 20, in a man who had returned from Wuhan, China to Snohomish County, Washington on January 15. The first report of a U.S. death came on February 29. An earlier U.S. death, on February 6, was determined in late April, and is believed to be community transmission. By the end of March, cases had occurred in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and all inhabited U.S. territories except American Samoa. By April 11, the federal government approved disaster declarations for all states and inhabited territories except American Samoa. The same day, the U.S. death toll became the highest in the world when the number of cases reached 20,000, surpassing that of Italy. As of April 24, the U.S. death rate was 152 per million people, the tenth highest rate globally. On April 28, the total number of confirmed cases across the country surpassed 1 million, and by April 29, according to Johns Hopkins University at a minimum, 58,356 people had died as a result of COVID-19, more than the Americans who had died during the Vietnam War. As of May 3, 2020, the U.S. has the most confirmed active cases and deaths in the world.
As of 13 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) considered Europe the active centre of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. Cases by country across Europe had doubled over periods of typically 3 to 4 days, with some countries showing doubling every 2 days.
COVID-19 testing can identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus and includes methods that detect the presence of virus itself and those that detect antibodies produced in response to infection. Detection of antibodies (serology) can be used both for diagnosis and population surveillance. Antibody tests show how many people have had the disease, including those whose symptoms were minor or who were asymptomatic. An accurate mortality rate of the disease and the level of herd immunity in the population can be determined from the results of this test. However, the duration and effectiveness of this immune response are still unclear, and the rates of false positives and false negatives must be duly factored into the interpretation.
A COVID-19 vaccine is a hypothetical vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19). Although no vaccine has completed clinical trials, there are multiple attempts in progress to develop such a vaccine. In late February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it did not expect a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus, to become available in less than 18 months. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) – which is organizing a US$2 billion worldwide fund for rapid investment and development of vaccine candidates – indicated in April that a vaccine may be available under emergency use protocols in less than 12 months or by early 2021.
The ongoing worldwide 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached Armenia on 1 March 2020 when its first case was confirmed. The disease, coronavirus disease 2019, caused by a novel virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has spread to all of the regions (marz) of Armenia, except for Gegharkunik, and has caused 33 deaths.
During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, human rights violations including censorship, discrimination, arbitrary detention, xenophobia were reported from different parts of the world. Amnesty International has responded that "Human rights violations hinder, rather than facilitate, responses to public health emergencies, and undercut their efficiency." The World Health Organization has stated that stay-at-home measures for slowing down the pandemic must not be done at the expense of human rights.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached Laos in March 2020.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Bahamas is part of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, declared to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. It was confirmed to have reached the Bahamas on 15 March 2020 with the announcement of the first case.
This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in May 2020, the virus responsible for the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic which originated in Wuhan, Hubei, mainland China. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has affected many science, space and technology institutions and government agencies worldwide, leading to reduced productivity on a number of fields and programs.
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Boston is part of an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Massachusetts city of Boston. The first confirmed case was reported on February 1, 2020, and the number began to increase rapidly by March 9. The Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10. By March 21, over 100 people in Boston had tested positive for COVID-19. Most early cases were traceable to a company meeting held in late February by the biotechnology firm Biogen in Boston. As of May 3, 2020, there were 9,929 confirmed cases and 426 deaths due to COVID-19. As of April 29, Boston had tested 27,824 people, 32.1% of which were positive.
The World Health Organization is a leading organization involved in the global coordination for mitigating the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic. On 5 January 2020, the WHO notified the world about "pneumonia of unknown cause" from China and subsequently followed up with investigating the disease. On 20 January, the WHO confirmed human-to-human transmission of the disease. On 30 January, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and warned all countries to prepare. On 11 March, WHO said that the outbreak constituted a pandemic. The WHO has spearheaded several initiatives like COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for fundraising for the pandemic and Solidarity Trial for investigating potential treatment options for the disease. The WHO has been criticized by various observers as reacting too slowly, or of being unable to criticize China.
This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, which was first detected in Wuhan, China. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect.
