COVID-19 pandemic

== Terminology ==
{{Further|COVID-19 naming}}
[[File:2020-3-20 黄冈送别山东援鄂医疗队 黄梅戏大剧院.jpg|thumb|210px|Chinese medics in [[Huanggang]], Hubei, in 2020]]

In [[epidemiology]], a pandemic is defined as "an epidemic occurring over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries, and usually affecting a large number of people". During the COVID-19 pandemic, as with other pandemics, the meaning of this term has been challenged.<ref>{{#invoke:cite journal ||vauthors=Doraiswamy S, Mamtani R, Cheema S |title=An in-depth analysis of 10 epidemiological terminologies used in the context of COVID-19 |journal=Scand J Public Health |volume=50 |issue=6 |pages=819–826 |date=August 2022 |pmid=34903120 |pmc=9361413 |doi=10.1177/14034948211057736 |url=}}</ref>

During [[COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei|the initial outbreak]] in [[Wuhan]], the virus and disease were commonly referred to as "coronavirus", "Wuhan coronavirus",<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{#invoke:cite news||title=2nd U.S. Case Of Wuhan Coronavirus Confirmed|newspaper=NPR.org|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/24/799208865/a-second-u-s-case-of-wuhan-coronavirus-is-confirmed|access-date=4 April 2020|publisher=NPR}}
* {{#invoke:cite news||author-link=Donald McNeil Jr.|date=2 February 2020|title=Wuhan Coronavirus Looks Increasingly Like a Pandemic, Experts Say|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/02/health/coronavirus-pandemic-china.html|access-date=4 April 2020|issn=0362-4331|vauthors=McNeil Jr DG}}
* {{#invoke:cite news||title=Wuhan coronavirus deaths spike again as outbreak shows no signs of slowing|publisher=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/asia/wuhan-coronavirus-update-death-toll-spike-intl-hnk/index.html|access-date=4 April 2020|vauthors=Griffiths J}}</ref> "the coronavirus outbreak" and the "Wuhan coronavirus outbreak",<ref>{{#invoke:cite journal||vauthors=Zhu H, Wei L, Niu P|date=2 March 2020|title=The novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China|journal=Global Health Research and Policy|volume=5|issue=1|page=6|doi=10.1186/s41256-020-00135-6|pmc=7050114|pmid=32226823|doi-access=free}}</ref> with the disease sometimes called "Wuhan [[pneumonia]]".<ref>{{#invoke:cite journal || vauthors = Jiang S, Xia S, Ying T, Lu L | title = A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) causing pneumonia-associated respiratory syndrome | journal = Cellular & Molecular Immunology | volume = 17 | issue = 5 | page = 554 | date = May 2020 | pmid = 32024976 | pmc = 7091741 | doi = 10.1038/s41423-020-0372-4 | title-link = doi | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite journal || vauthors = Chan JF, Yuan S, Kok KH, To KK, Chu H, Yang J, Xing F, Liu J, Yip CC, Poon RW, Tsoi HW, Lo SK, Chan KH, Poon VK, Chan WM, Ip JD, Cai JP, Cheng VC, Chen H, Hui CK, Yuen KY | title = A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster | journal = Lancet | volume = 395 | issue = 10223 | pages = 514–523 | date = February 2020 | pmid = 31986261 | pmc = 7159286 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30154-9 | title-link = doi | doi-access = free }}</ref> In January 2020, the WHO recommended 2019-nCoV<ref>{{#invoke:cite web||date=21 January 2020|title=Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report – 1|url=https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200121-sitrep-1-2019-ncov.pdf|publisher=[[World Health Organization]] (WHO)}}</ref> and 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease<ref>{{#invoke:cite web||date=30 January 2020|title=Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV) Situation Report – 10|url=https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200130-sitrep-10-ncov.pdf|publisher=[[World Health Organization]] (WHO)}}</ref> as interim names for the virus and disease per 2015 international guidelines against using geographical locations (e.g. Wuhan, China), animal species, or groups of people in disease and virus names in part to prevent [[social stigma]].<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{#invoke:cite news||title=Novel coronavirus named 'Covid-19': WHO|work=Today|location=Singapore|url=https://www.todayonline.com/world/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-named-covid-19-who|url-status=live|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200321085608/https://www.todayonline.com/world/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-named-covid-19-who|archive-date=21 March 2020}}
* {{#invoke:cite news||date=17 February 2020|title=The coronavirus spreads racism against – and among – ethnic Chinese|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|url=https://www.economist.com/china/2020/02/17/the-coronavirus-spreads-racism-against-and-among-ethnic-chinese|url-status=live|access-date=17 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217223902/https://www.economist.com/china/2020/02/17/the-coronavirus-spreads-racism-against-and-among-ethnic-chinese|archive-date=17 February 2020}}
* {{#invoke:cite report||url=https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/163636/WHO_HSE_FOS_15.1_eng.pdf|title=World Health Organization Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases|date=May 2015|publisher=[[World Health Organization]] (WHO)|hdl-access=free|hdl=10665/163636}}</ref> WHO finalized the official names COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 on 11 February 2020.<ref name="WHO-naming">{{#invoke:cite web||title=Naming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the virus that causes it|url=https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228035651/https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it|archive-date=28 February 2020|access-date=13 March 2020|publisher=[[World Health Organization]] (WHO)}}</ref> [[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus]] explained: CO{{spaces}}for ''corona'', VI{{spaces}}for ''virus'', D{{spaces}}for ''disease'' and 19 for when the outbreak was first identified (31 December 2019).<ref>{{#invoke:cite report||url=https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19-rapid-risk-assessment-coronavirus-disease-2019-eighth-update-8-april-2020.pdf|title=Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the EU/EEA and the UK – eighth update|publisher=ecdc|access-date=19 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314223709/https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/RRA-sixth-update-Outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-disease-2019-COVID-19.pdf|archive-date=14 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> WHO additionally uses "the COVID-19 virus" and "the virus responsible for COVID-19" in public communications.<ref name="WHO-naming" />

WHO named [[variant of concern|variants of concern]] and [[Variant of concern|variants of interest]] using [[Greek alphabet|Greek letters]]. The initial practice of naming them according to where the variants were identified (e.g. [[SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant|Delta]] began as the "Indian variant") is no longer common.<ref>{{#invoke:cite news||date=7 June 2021|title=Covid Indian variant: Where is it, how does it spread and is it more infectious?|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57157496|access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref> A more systematic naming scheme reflects the variant's [[Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak Lineages|PANGO lineage]] (e.g., [[SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant|Omicron]]'s lineage is B.1.1.529) and is used for other variants.<ref name="BBC.May.31.2021">{{#invoke:cite news||date=31 May 2021|title=Covid: WHO renames UK and other variants with Greek letters|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-57308592|access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite news|| vauthors = Patel V |date=27 November 2021|title=How Omicron, the New Covid-19 Variant, Got Its Name|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/world/africa/omicron-covid-greek-alphabet.html|access-date=28 November 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128015620/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/world/africa/omicron-covid-greek-alphabet.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite web||date=27 November 2021|title=There are several COVID-19 variants you haven't heard of|url=https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/coronavirus/there-are-several-covid-19-variants-you-havent-heard-of/|access-date=27 November 2021|website=NewsNation Now|archive-date=27 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127211302/https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/coronavirus/there-are-several-covid-19-variants-you-havent-heard-of/|url-status=live}}</ref>