In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started monitoring the outbreak of a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes the respiratory illness now known as COVID-19. Authorities first identified the virus in Wuhan, China. More than 78,191 people have contracted the virus in China. Health authorities have identified many other people with COVID-19 around the world, including in the United States. On January 31, 2020, the virus passed from one person to another in the U.S.

The World Health Organization (WHO) have declared a public health emergency relating to COVID-19.

Since then, this strain has been diagnosed in several U.S. residents. The CDC have advised that it is likely to spread to more people. COVID-19 has started causing disruption in at least 25 other countries. read more...