Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global outbreak of coronavirus, an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus.

The first cases of novel coronavirus (nCoV) were first detected in China in December 2019, with the virus spreading rapidly to other countries across the world. This led WHO to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and to characterize the outbreak as a pandemic on 11 March 2020.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, over 2 million people in the European Region have died from the disease.

The links and resources menu on this page can be used to navigate the most updated information and guidance for health authorities, public health audiences, and for the general public. This includes links to resources to track the COVID-19 situation in European countries, as well as to document the WHO/Europe and country responses to the pandemic.

The site below also links to WHO/Europe’s key publications on COVID-19, as well as to our key numbers related to cases, deaths, and people vaccinated across the Region. Access our WHO/Europe COVID-19 dashboard by clicking on the map icon below.