Timeline Page

31 December 2019

• WHO Reports
  • At the close of 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of a pneumonia of unknown cause, detected in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China. According to the authorities, some patients were operating dealers or vendors in the Huanan Seafood market.

Staying in close contact with national authorities, WHO began monitoring the situation and requested further information on the laboratory tests performed and the different diagnoses considered.

4 January 2020

• WHO announced it would work across its 3 levels – country office, regional office and HQ – to track the situation and share details as they emerged.
• China has reported to WHO a cluster of #pneumonia cases —with no deaths— in Wuhan, Hubei Province 🇨🇳 . Investigations are underway to identify the cause of this illness.

5 January

• WHO published its risk assessment and advice and reported on the status of patients and the public health response by national authorities to the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan.

10 January

• Developed with reference to other coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, WHO issued a tool for countries to check their ability to detect and respond to a novel coronavirus.
• This information is to help with identifying main gaps, assessing risks and planning for additional investigations, response and control actions.

12 January

• China shares the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus, which will be very important for other countries as they develop specific diagnostic kits.
• Whole genome sequences for the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from the Chinese🇨🇳 authorities were shared with WHO and have also been submitted by Chinese authorities to the GISAID platform so that they can be accessed by public health authorities, laboratories and researchers. pic.twitter.com/wmtGfI4dWl

13 January

• Officials confirmed a case of the novel coronavirus in Thailand. It was not unexpected that cases of the novel coronavirus would emerge outside of China and reinforces why WHO calls for active monitoring and preparedness in other countries.
• On 13 January 2020, the #Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health @pr_moph reported the first imported case of lab-confirmed novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from #Wuhan, #China🇨🇳 https://t.co/Wr6VZTnCj2 pic.twitter.com/U7Njua8gvr

18 January

• ECDC informs countries
  • 300 000 Passengers/month EU > China
  • Novel coronavirus circulates in China
  • 2 cases ex China in Thailand; 1 in Japan
  • Returning travellers with fever should consult a physician & inform of China visit
• WHO
• Case def, lab guidance, case management

21 January

• WHO Joint Mission to China
  • The delegation observed and discussed active surveillance processes, temperature screening at Wuhan Tianhe airport, laboratory facilities, infection prevention and control measures at Zhongnan hospital and its associated fever clinics, and the deployment of a test kit to detect the virus.
  • The delegation also discussed public communication efforts and China's plan to expand the case definition for the novel coronavirus, which will build a clearer picture of the spectrum of severity of the virus.
  • At the end of the visit, the Chinese Government released the primers and probes used in the test kit for the novel coronavirus to help other countries detect it. Chinese experts also shared a range of protocols that will be used in developing international guidelines, including case definitions, clinical management protocols and infection control.

22 January

• ECDC RRR COVID19 (#1)
  • the potential impact of 2019-nCoV outbreaks is high;
  • further global spread is likely;
  • there is currently a moderate likelihood of infection for EU/EEA travellers visiting Wuhan;
  • there is a high likelihood of case importation into countries with the greatest volume of people travelling to and from Wuhan (i.e. countries in Asia);
  • there is a moderate likelihood of detecting cases imported into EU/EEA countries;
  • adherence to appropriate infection prevention and control practices, particularly in healthcare settings in EU/EEA countries with direct links to Wuhan, means that the likelihood of a case reported in the EU resulting in secondary cases within the EU/EEA is low.

23 January

• On 22-23 February, the WHO Director General convened the Emergency Committee to consider the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, with cases also reported in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore.
• Several Committee members considered it still too early to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), given its restrictive and binary nature. Among other recommendations, the Committee advised that it be recalled in approximately 10 days

25 January

• ECDC informs countries
  • Wuhan outbreak evolves rapidly
  • Cases in 9 other countries outside China
  • Person to Person spread likely
• WHO
  • Launch of free online introductory course on the novel coronavirus

26 January

• ECDC RRA COVID19 (#2)
  • the potential impact of 2019-nCoV outbreaks is high;
  • further global spread is likely;
  • there is currently a moderate likelihood of infection for EU/EEA citizens residing in or visiting Wuhan, Hubei province, China;
  • there is a high likelihood of further case importation into countries with the greatest volume of people who have travelled from Wuhan, Hubei Province (i.e. countries in Asia);
  • there is a moderate likelihood of further case importation into EU/EEA countries;
  • adherence to appropriate infection prevention and control practices, particularly in healthcare settings in EU/EEA countries with direct links to Hubei, means that the likelihood of a case detected in the EU resulting in secondary cases within the EU/EEA is low;
  • the impact of the late detection of an imported case in an EU/EEA country without the application of appropriate infection prevention and control measures would be high, therefore in such a scenario the risk of secondary transmission in the community setting is estimated to be very high

30 January

• WHO: 2019-nCoV = PHEIC
• Temporary recommendations under IHR
• Acknowledging that cases have been reported in five WHO regions in one month, the Committee noted that early detection, isolating and treating cases, contact tracing and social distancing measures – in line with the level of risk – can all work to interrupt virus spread.

31 January

• ECDC RRA COVID19 (#3)
• the potential impact of 2019-nCoV outbreaks is high;
• the likelihood of infection for EU/EEA citizens residing in or visiting Hubei province is estimated to be high;
• the likelihood of infection for EU/EEA citizens in other Chinese provinces is moderate and will increase;
• there is a moderate-to-high likelihood of additional imported cases in the EU/EEA;
• the likelihood of observing further limited human-to-human transmission within the EU/EEA is estimated as very low to low if cases are detected early and appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) practices are implemented, particularly in healthcare settings in EU/EEA countries;
• assuming that cases in the EU/EEA are detected in a timely manner and that rigorous IPC measures are applied, the likelihood of sustained human-to-human transmission within the EU/EEA is currently very low to low;
• the late detection of an imported case in an EU/EEA country without the application of appropriate infection prevention and control measures would result in the high likelihood of human-to-human transmission, therefore in such a scenario, the risk of secondary transmission in the community setting is estimated to be high.

1 February

• ECDC informs countries
• 16 cases in EU (5 countries), with local transmission
• China takes unprecedented control measures
• Potential impact of 2019-nCoV is high
• Moderate-High likelihood of more imported cases in EU
• Likelihood of human-human transmission in EU is low if early detection of cases and adherence to appropriate IPC practices are implemented, in particular in health care settings

3 February

• Rapid Communication Eurosurveillance
  • 38 labs in 24 EU countries had COVID19 tests available
  • Availability of primers/probes, positive controls and personnel were main implementation barriers

5 February

• Global community asks for US$675 million to help protect vulnerable countries from the outbreak

8 February

• ECDC informs countries
  • 9 EU countries with cases (31)

10 February

• ECDC publishes “Guidelines for the use of non-pharmaceutical measures to delay and mitigate the impact of 2019-nCoV”
  • Hand Hygiene
  • Respiratory Hygiene (“Cough Etiquette”)
  • Face Masks & Respirators
    • In Health care: Surgical mask for suspected COVID19 cases. FFP masks for HCW during assessment & management
    • In other high exposures: Surgical masks for care providers of suspect COVID19 cases and those with extensive public contact
    • In Community: By individuals with respiratory symptoms before seeking medical attention
  • Other PPE:
    • HCW caring for COVID19, especially when aerosol-generating procedures.
  • Social distancing
    • Voluntary isolation of COVID19 cases in community.
    • Close contacts: Isolation at home & active daily monitoring
    • Casual contacts: Self-monitoring
  • Schools:
    • school children are considered to be one of the main drivers of respiratory virus spread in the community. It is not yet known how much nCoV2 transmission will occur among children
    • proactive school closures may be considered if there is ongoing transmission of 2019-nCoV in an area.

11 February

• Novel coronavirus disease named COVID-19

12 February

• Research and innovation forum sets priorities for COVID-19 research
  • More than 400 experts and funders met at WHO’s Geneva HQ to accelerate research to stop the COVID-19 outbreak. Featuring updates from the frontlines of the response in China, the meeting addressed issues such as: developing easy-to-apply diagnostics, accelerating existing vaccine candidates and preventing infection
• UN activates WHO-led Crisis Management Team
  • The Crisis Management Team (CMT) mechanism brings together WHO, OCHA, IMO, UNICEF, ICAO, WFP, FAO, the World Bank and several UN Secretariat departments.
  • The CMT will be managed by the Executive Director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Mike Ryan. It will help WHO focus on the health response while the other agencies will bring their expertise to bear on the wider social, economic and developmental implications of the outbreak

13 February

• ECDC publishes “Guidance on community engagement for public health events caused by communicable disease threats in the EU/EEA”:
  • Through all three phases of the preparedness cycle
    1. Recognise the community as a partner
    2. Develop understanding of community perceptions
    3. Optimise communications with at-risk communities
    4. Invest in a trusted spokesperson and long-term media relations.
  • Anticipation phase
    1. Map stakeholders and integrate them into preparedness planning
    2. Develop an accessible and inclusive preparedness and response training program
    3. Cultivate relationships with communities engaged in disease surveillance
    4. Engage with pre-existing community networks and infrastructures
    5. Set research agenda in collaboration with community partners.
  • Response phase
    1. Coordinate distribution of information, protective equipment and other resources for and with community partners
    2. If using an all-hazards approach, recognise the special character of infectious disease outbreaks, and act accordingly
    3. Facilitate resolving of possible issues with community-level financial losses.
  • Recovery phase
    1. Integrate and document community engagement in evaluation processes
    2. Promote community debriefing, dialogue and a culture of shared learning.