COVID-19 started in late 2019. The first human cases were identified in Wuhan, China, around November to December 2019, with the initial cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause detected on December 21, 2019. Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about these cases on December 31, 2019

. The virus, later named SARS-CoV-2, was identified in early January 2020. The WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020, and officially declared it a pandemic on March 11, 2020

. The first confirmed COVID-19 case in the United States was reported in January 2020

. In summary, COVID-19 began in late 2019, with the pandemic officially recognized in early 2020.