Covid-19: Total cases worldwide

This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP)

PETALING JAYA: The World Health Organization (WHO) was first alerted on Dec 31,2019, to the presence of several pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China, which did not match any other known virus.

A week later, Chinese authorities confirmed that they had identified a new virus.

The new virus was temporarily named “2019-nCoV.”

On Feb 11, the WHO named the disease caused by 2019-nCoV virus as "Covid-19", which stands for ‘Corona Virus Disease’.

The virus spread rapidly, and exactly a month later on March 11 the United Nations agency responsible for international public health declared a pandemic - the worldwide spread of a new disease.

Despite the number of infections, it is important to also note that many people affected by Covid-19 have managed to recover after getting treatment.

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Any outbreak of an infectious disease has a ramping-up period, followed by a peak of intensity, then a decline, giving a bell-shaped curve.

The following is a map showing the distribution of Covid-19 cases: