Hey everyone, and welcome back! Today, we’re tackling a question that changed the world: What year did COVID-19 actually start?
Well, the first known cases of what we now call COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, specifically around December. Think of it like a new guest arriving quietly at a party.
While it started locally in 2019, it began spreading more widely in early 2020. That’s when organizations like the World Health Organization, or WHO, really started to take notice. They declared it a global public health emergency in January 2020, and then, sadly, a full-blown pandemic by March of that year.
So, to put it simply, the virus itself first appeared in late 2019, but 2020 was the year it became a global pandemic, impacting lives everywhere. Understanding this timeline helps us remember how quickly things can change, doesn’t it?