The WHO recalled that on December 31, 2019, its office in China collected from its website a press statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission about cases of “viral pneumonia” in the city.
“In the weeks, months and years after that, COVID-19 came to shape our lives and our world,” the U.N. agency said Monday.
Globally, there have been 777,074,803 confirmed cases of the disease, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and more than seven million deaths.
Share data and access
“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of COVID-19,” the WHO said.
“This is a moral and scientific imperative. Without transparency, exchange and cooperation between countries, the world cannot adequately prevent or prepare for future epidemics and pandemics. “
In commemorating the five-year milestone, WHO also paid tribute to the lives lost to the disease and recognized those still suffering from the disease or suffering from long COVID.
The agency also expressed gratitude to healthcare workers “who sacrificed so much to care for us and committed to learning from COVID-19 to build a healthier tomorrow.”
Action schedule
The WHO has published an interactive timeline of its response to COVID-19.
He said staff initiated emergency procedures on January 1, 2020 and informed the world three days later.
From January 9 to 12, the WHO had published its first set of comprehensive guidance for countries and on January 13 it brought together its partners to publish the plan for the first laboratory test of SARS-CoV-2.
“At every turn, we convened experts and health ministries from around the world, gathered and analyzed data, and shared what was reported, what we learned, and what it meant for people,” the agency said.
