COVID-19 Pandemic

Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO on January 30, 2020. The virus spread rapidly across the globe, leading to over 770 million confirmed cases and more than 7 million deaths by the time the WHO ended the emergency designation on May 5, 2023. The pandemic overwhelmed healthcare systems worldwide, prompted unprecedented lockdowns affecting billions, and caused the deepest global recession since the Great Depression. Disaster relief organizations pivoted to provide emergency medical supplies, PPE, food distribution to newly food-insecure populations, and support for overwhelmed healthcare facilities. The pandemic disproportionately affected vulnerable populations and exposed deep inequities in healthcare access globally.