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