Five years ago, a group of people in Wuhan, China became ill with a virus the world had never seen before.
The virus did not have a name, nor did the disease it caused. But what it caused was a profound shake-up of the world’s health system and reshaped the way people should deal with viruses.
The virus is still active, even though humanity has been immunized thanks to vaccinations and infections. Now it is less lethal and does not enter the top of the causes of death.
But what is known and what is not yet known about COVID-19:
Where did it come from?
Scientists have said the most likely scenario is that it circulated in mice, like most other coronaviruses, and then infected other species up to humans in Wuhan, where the first cases were recorded in late November 2019. .
Wuhan is the center of several large laboratories that also conduct studies on coronaviruses, fueling debate over whether the virus originated from any of them.
However, the origin of the pandemic is still unknown – and it is not known whether it will ever be known.
How many people died from COVID-19?
Probably more than 20 million. The World Health Organization has said that its member states have reported more than seven million deaths from COVID-19, but that the real number is believed to be three times higher.
What vaccines were available?
Scientists and vaccine manufacturers break records by saving tens of millions of people around the world. Thanks to them, the world quickly returned to normality. A year after the virus was identified in China, authorities in the United States and Britain approved vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna.
Vaccines are not perfect. They work to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death, and have been shown to be safe with very rare serious side effects.
Which variant is dominating now?
Scientists began to name the variants according to the Greek alphabet. The distribution was so fast that several types of variants were made. One of the dominant variants now goes by the name XEC, which is believed to be dominant in the US.
What is known about long-term COVID?
Millions of people continue to suffer the consequences of being affected by COVID-19. While for most the consequences were a few weeks, in a group of people the fatigue lasted for months and even years, but also “brain fog” or possible cardiovascular problems.
Doctors do not know how this COVID-19 is acquired, but studies have shown that vaccination has reduced cases and risks.
