COVID-19 CLAIMS OVER 7 MILLION LIVES GLOBALLY

Thu 13 March 2025:

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a “pandemic” on March 11, 2020, and since then, over 7 million people have lost their lives worldwide. Although the disease was removed from the “International Public Health Emergency” category in 2023, fatalities continue.

The first cases of COVID-19 emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, when patients with an unknown respiratory illness sought medical attention. The first death from the disease was recorded at the beginning of 2020.

The disease, likely caused by a mutated version of a beta coronavirus found in bats, was first detected in individuals who had visited a seafood market in Wuhan. Initially, the lack of sufficient data about COVID-19 allowed the virus to spread rapidly, eventually posing a global threat and prompting calls for action from governments and international organizations.

The virus spread worldwide, with the first case outside China detected in Thailand on January 13, 2020. The disease soon reached Japan, the United States, and then several other countries, including France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and eventually across Africa.

After COVID-19 caused global concern, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” on January 30, 2020. On February 11, 2020, the WHO officially named the disease COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019). By March 11, 2020, as cases and deaths escalated, WHO declared it a global pandemic, the same day Turkey reported its first case.

By March 4, 2020, the number of COVID-19 cases had surpassed 1 million globally.

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Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

100 days after the first case was reported in November 2019, WHO urged people to “stay at home.” To limit the spread, many countries mandated mask usage in public spaces, suspended in-person activities at workplaces and schools, and shifted to online methods. WHO also encouraged governments to promote the use of surgical masks in public.

The lockdowns and measures negatively impacted economic, social, political, and psychological aspects of society. PCR testing was introduced to identify individuals who may be carriers of COVID-19. Governments, including WHO, advised citizens to maintain hygiene, practice social distancing, wear masks, and undergo quarantine when necessary. A 14 to 21-day quarantine was imposed on individuals who had close contact with infected people.

Mutations and Variants

By the end of 2020, mutations of COVID-19 gave rise to new variants, including the “Alpha” variant detected in the UK in September 2020, and others such as “Beta” in South Africa, “Gamma” in Brazil, “Delta” in India, and “Omicron” in South Africa. These variants were classified by WHO as “Variants of Concern” (VOC).

Vaccine Developments

Vaccine development accelerated, with the first COVID-19 vaccine, BioNTech/Pfizer, receiving approval for widespread use by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on December 2, 2020. By 2021, other vaccines were also approved, and efforts to return to “normal life” gradually began.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Pfizer’s “Paxlovid,” an antiviral drug, for emergency use in November 2021, making it the first oral drug approved for COVID-19 treatment in the EU.

The use of “negative PCR tests” became mandatory in many countries for travel and social activities. As of mid-2022, many COVID-19 restrictions, including mask and PCR test requirements, were eased, leading to a decrease in cases and deaths.

On May 5, 2023, WHO officially declared the COVID-19 pandemic over as a public health emergency.

Current Cases and Deaths

According to WHO data, the global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 7 million, with about 3 million of those deaths occurring in the Americas and more than 2 million in Europe. The United States has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, followed by Brazil, India, and Russia.

Even this year, the virus continues to cause fatalities, with 517 deaths recorded last week and 3,073 deaths in February. Over 13 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally.

Currently, more than 94,000 people are still battling COVID-19 worldwide, and the total number of recorded cases since the start of the pandemic has exceeded 777 million.

-Source: Agencies and A News

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