New Delhi: The coronavirus was identified by WHO on December 31, 2019. The COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2).
A number of health experts have an opinion that the novel coronavirus originated either in bats or pangolins. The very first human transmission was recorded in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province in China. The virus has spread in humans rapidly after this transmission.
World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The coronavirus has spread across the globe without any parallel. USA, Europe are affected the most with COVID-19.
82 million are affected worldwide, 1.79 million have lost their lives with COVID-19. 19.4 million are infected and more than 3,36,000 have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in the US.
India too has been gravely affected with coronavirus. Indian government implemented a series of nation-wide lockdown which started on March 25, 2020.
The UK has recently found a new strain of SARS-CoV-2. The mutated virus is named has B117 or VUI2020/21. This new coronavirus strain is more contagious than the existing one. This has created a panic across the world.
There are 10.2 million infections and 1,48,000 deaths recorded in India. The COVID-19 has literally disrupted the Indian economy which already was going through a pre-pandemic slowdown.
In the latest Zee Reader's Poll 2020, COVID-19 has emerged as one of the biggest news events of the year.
