ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to Italy on 30 January 2020, when two Chinese tourists in Rome tested positive for the virus.  Clusters. A large amount of cases was later found, starting with 16 confirmed cases in Lombardy on 21 February, and 60 additional cases and the first deaths on 22 February. By the beginning of March, the virus had spread to all regions of Italy. On 30 January, the Italian government stopped all flights to and from China and declared a state of emergency. In February, eleven cities in northern Italy were seen as the centres of the two main Italian infected areas and placed under quarantine. The majority of positive cases in other regions traced back to these two areas.  Conte's response. On 8 March 2020, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte expanded the quarantine to all of Lombardy and 14 other northern provinces, and on the following day to all of Italy were placed on quarantine. On 11 March 2020, Conte prohibited nearly all commercial activity except for supermarkets and pharmacies.  On 21 March, the Italian government closed all non-essential businesses and industries, and stopped movement of people. Cases. , Italy has 78,457 active cases, one of the highest in the world. Overall there have been  222,104 confirmed cases and  31,106 deaths (a rate of 509 deaths per million population), while there have been  112,541 recoveries or dismissals.  By 13 May, Italy had tested about 1,779,000 people. Because of the limited number of tests performed, the real number of infected people in Italy, as in other countries, is seen to be higher than the official count.  Numbers. On 19 March, Italy became the country with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus deaths; however, on 11 April, the United States topped Italy.
The COVID-19 pandemic started with a large number of unknown, possible pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, China. A Wuhan hospital told the local center for disease control and prevention (CDC) and health commissions on 27 December 2019. The beginning. On 31 December, the Wuhan CDC told the media that there was a large number of unknown pneumonia cases related to Huanan Seafood Market. The possible disease outbreak soon became known nationwide including that of the National Health Commission (NHC) in Beijing who sent experts to Wuhan on the following day. Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organisation on this same day. On 8 January, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of the pneumonia.  Government response. Public and media criticized Chinese officials for a slow response to fight the outbreak when it first started. By 29 January, the virus spread to all provinces of mainland China. All provinces of mainland China began a large public health emergency. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" on 31 January, saying that there are reasons that it could spread to other countries, such as those without robust healthcare systems. By 8 February, over 724 died from the coronavirus and 34,878 were confirmed to have been infected. In Hubei alone, there were 24,953 cases of infections and 699 related deaths. The Chinese government may have censored talks about the outbreak since the beginning of its spread. On 25 January, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping warned about a "grave situation" in China.  The Chinese New Year celebrations were cancelled. Passengers across the country have been checked for their temperatures.  By 29 January, all Hubei cities were quarantined. Curfew laws were added in Huanggang, Wenzhou, and other mainland cities.  Shortages. In February 2020, the region also saw a huge shortage of face masks and other protective gear even though China called themselves the world's largest makers of these masks. Other countries donated medical supplies to help China deal with the epidemic. Lowering numbers. On 25 February, the
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Iran reported its first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections on 19 February 2020 in Qom. The virus may have been brought to the country by a merchant from Qom who had travelled to China. Government response. In response to the coronavirus the government cancelled public events and Friday prayers. They closed schools, universities, shopping centres, bazaars, and holy shrines; and banned festival celebrations.  Economic help were also announced to help families and businesses. The government at first did not support plans to quarantine entire cities and areas. The government later announced a ban on travel between cities following an increase in the number of new cases. Numbers. Some outside guesses of the numbers of COVID-19 deaths were much higher than those from government sources, with one saying over 40,000 deaths. The government was also accused of cover-ups, censorship, and not handling the pandemic well. However, the World Health Organization said that it had not seen problems with Iran's reported numbers. Cases and deaths. Many government ministers and senior officials have been diagnosed as SARS-CoV-2 positive. As of 3 March 2020, 23 members of the Parliament (around 8% of all MPs) tested positive.  At least 12 sitting or former Iranian politicians and officials had died from the virus by 17 March.  Notable deaths. Some of the well known Iranians reported to have died from COVID-19 include:
The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China. Numbers. The infection rate of COVID-19 in India was reported to be 1.7, which was lower than in the worst affected countries. The outbreak was called an epidemic in more than a dozen states and union territories. Response. On 22 March 2020, India made a 14-hour voluntary public curfew at the instance of the prime minister Narendra Modi. The government followed it up with lockdowns in 75 districts where COVID-19 cases had occurred as well as all major cities. On 24 March, the prime minister ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, affecting the entire 1.3billion population of India. On 14 April, the prime minister extended the nationwide lockdown until 3 May. Lockdown effects. People worried about the economic effects caused by the lockdown, which has would have on informal workers, micro and small enterprises, farmers and the self-employed. Observers stated that the lockdown slowed the growth rate of the pandemic by 6 April to a rate of doubling every 6 days, and, by 18 April, to a rate of doubling every 8 days. The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), in its report based on data from 73 countries, reports that the Indian Government responded more strictly than other countries in the pandemic.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic spread to Germany on 27 January 2020, when the first case was confirmed near Munich, Bavaria. Background. The majority of cases in January and early February came from the same automobile-parts business place as the first case. On 25 and 26 February, multiple cases related to the Italian outbreak were found in Baden-Württemberg. A large number linked to a carnival event was formed in Heinsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, with the first death reported on 9March 2020. New larger groups were found in other regions via Heinsberg as well as by people arriving from China, Iran and Italy, from where non-Germans could arrive by plane until 17–18 March. Stages. The outbreaks were first managed in a "containment stage", which tried to lower the increase of larger infected areas. The German government and several health officials stated the country was ready and did not create special measures to increase medical supplies or limit public freedom. Since 13 March, the pandemic has been managed in the "protection stage". Two days later, borders to five neighboring countries were closed. Actions. By 22 March, all regional governments had announced curfews or restrictions in public spaces. Throughout Germany, travelling was only allowed in groups of two people unless they are from the same household. Some German states added more restrictions allowing people to leave their homes only for specified activities including commuting to work, exercising or purchasing food. Numbers.  173,699 cases had been reported with 7,791 deaths and about 147,200 recoveries. The low fatality rate in Germany, compared to Italy and Spain, resulted in a debate and explanations that say the country's higher number of tests performed, higher number of available intensive care beds with respiratory support, absence of COVID-19 analyses in autopsies and higher proportion of positive cases among younger people.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached France on 24 January 2020, when the first COVID-19 case in both Europe and France was identified in Bordeaux. The beginning. The first five confirmed cases were all people who had recently arrived from China. A Chinese tourist who was admitted to hospital in Paris on 28 January died on 14 February, making it the first COVID-19 death in France. The annual assembly of the Christian Open Door Church between 17 and 24 February in Mulhouse which was attended by about 2,500 people was believed where the virus spread throughout France. Macron's response. On 12 March, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on public television that all schools and all universities would close from Monday 16 March until further notice. The next day, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe banned gatherings of more than 100 people, not including public transport. The following day, the prime minister ordered the closure of all non-essential public places, including restaurants, cafés, cinemas and nightclubs, effective at midnight. On 16 March, Macron announced mandatory home order for 15 days starting at noon on 17 March. This was extended twice, until 11 May, after which the order would end only if citizens wore face masks. Emergency. On 2 May, Olivier Véran announced that the government would seek to extend the health emergency until 24 July. Many mayors were against the 11 May lifting of the lockdown, which had been announced by the President a few weeks earlier in a televised address to the nation, and said it was too soon. Veran's bill was discussed in Senate on 4 May. Cases. , France has reported over 140,734 confirmed cases, 27,074 deaths, and 58,673 recoveries, ranking sixth in number of confirmed cases, passing China where the outbreak began.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic spread to the United Kingdom in late January 2020. As of , cases of COVID-19 have been reported, and people have died of COVID-19. Numbers. More than 90% of those dying had underlying illnesses or were over 60 years old. The infection rate was higher in care homes than in the community. There were large regional difference in the outbreak's severity. The outbreak in London had the highest total number and the most infections. England and Wales were the UK countries with the highest recorded death rate per head, and Northern Ireland had the lowest. Government response before the pandemic. The Department of Health and Social Care created a public health campaign to help slow the virus's spread, and began posting daily updates in early February.  In February, the Heath Secretary, Matt Hancock, proposed the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020. Hospitals set up drive-through screening (testing for the disease). The Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty, created a four-stage strategy to tackle the outbreak: contain, delay, research and mitigate (help, lessen). Cases. First cases in the United Kingdom were on on 28 February, and by 1March there were cases in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  Government response during the pandemic. The government created the Coronavirus Action Plan, and said the outbreak a "level 4 incident".  On 11 March, the outbreak was declared a pandemic. Four days later—following the outbreak in Italy, the government said everyone should avoid all "non-essential" travel and contact with others, avoid crowds, and work from home if possible. Those with symptoms, and their household, were asked to self-isolate.  Pregnant women, the over 70s, and those with certain illnesses were asked to self-isolate for longer. Panic buying was reported. Lockdowns. On 20 March 2020, the four governments shut all schools, restaurants, pubs, indoor entertainment venues and leisure centres, with some exceptions. On 23 March, the UK government made a lockdown on the whole population, banning all "non-essential" travel and contact with people outside one's home and
The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ().  The beginning. The disease was confirmed to have reached Canada on January 27, 2020, after a man who had returned to Toronto from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive. , there have been over 134,000 confirmed cases, 118,000 recoveries and 9,000 deaths in the country. The Government of Canada said that around 11,000–22,000 deaths could happen over the course of the pandemic. Cases. Most of those cases are in Canada's most populous provinces, Ontario (19,598 cases, 1,540 deaths) and Quebec (36,150 cases, 2,725 deaths).  Confirmed cases have been reported in all of Canada's provinces and territories. An additional 13 cases involve citizens from the "Grand Princess" cruise ship.  Among the Canadians who contracted the virus was Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who tested positive for the virus on March 12 after which the family went into self-isolation. By March 28, she had recovered.  Spread. Until March 2020, all cases were linked to recent travel to a country with a large number of cases. The first case of community transmission in Canada was confirmed in British Columbia on March 5, and Toronto's chief health officer announced on March 16 that there is "some evidence of community transmission" (that the disease was spreading within the country). Closures. In mid March, as cases of community transmission were confirmed, all of Canada's provinces and territories declared states of emergency. Provinces and territories made school and daycare shutdown, ended on gatherings, closed non-essential businesses, restrictions on entry, and mandatory self-isolation for travellers.  Canada severely restricted its border access.
The COVID-19 pandemic was reported to have spread to Ecuador on 29 February 2020. That was when a woman in her 70s tested positive for the virus. Ecuador was described in April as the growing "epicentre" of the pandemic in Latin America.  Deaths. The city of Guayaquil had so many deaths that bodies were left in the street. Ecuador gave out cardboard coffins because the country had difficulty removing all the dead bodies. The government was planning to build emergency cemeteries to dispose of the bodies which are left in the streets. Vaccination. In April 2021, newly elected President Guillermo Lasso said that his main priorities after being inaugurated would be to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country. Lassos said he aim for bilateral talks with Russia, China, the United States, the European Union and Chile to try to acquire vaccines. Numbers. The number of deaths was believed to be higher than the official figure because not enough testing was being done. A "New York Times" analysis found 7,600 more deaths had happened from 1 March to 15 April as the mortality rate spiked to three times as much as usual. That showed that the official death toll was lower than the actual death toll.
The COVID-19 pandemic spread to Russia on 31 January 2020, when two Chinese tourists in Tyumen, Siberia and Chita, Russian Far East tested positive for the virus, with both cases being contained. Measures. Early prevention measures happened within the first cases. They included restricting the border with China and large testing. The infection spread from Italy on 2 March, leading to more measures such as cancelling events, closing schools, theatres and museums, shutting the border, and declaring a non-working period which lasted up to 11 May, having been extended twice. Cases. By the end of March, lockdowns were added in the large majority of federal subjects, including Moscow. By 17 April, cases were confirmed in all federal areas. On 27 April, the number of confirmed cases passed those in China and on 30 April, it passed 100,000. As of 14 May, Russia has 252,245 confirmed cases, 53,530 recoveries, 2,305 deaths, and over 6.1 million tests performed, ranking second in number of confirmed cases. The city of Moscow is currently the most affected, having the majority of confirmed cases.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Mexico in February 2020. However, the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) reported two cases of COVID-19 in mid-January 2020 in the states of Nayarit and Tabasco, one case per state. As of May 13, there had been 40,186 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mexico and 4,220 reported deaths, although the Secretariat of Health said in early May 2020 that there were more than 104,562 cases in Mexico. Background. On January 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a large group of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019. Early action. On January 22, 2020, the Secretariat of Health issued a statement saying that the novel coronavirus COVID-19 was not a threat to Mexico. 441 cases had been confirmed in China, Thailand, South Korea, and the United States. A travel warning was issued on January 9. First cases. On February 28, Mexico confirmed its first three cases. A 35-year-old man and a 59-year-old man in Mexico City and a 41-year-old man in the northern state of Sinaloa tested positive and were held in isolation at a hospital and a hotel. They had travelled to Bergamo and stayed in Italy for a week in mid-February. López Obrador's reaction. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not take the pandemic seriously such as the impact of coronavirus. He said "Pandemics ... won't do anything to us," and criticized the press and the opposition for its reportage. A poll showed that 63% of Mexicans feared contracting COVID-19 and 25.5% feared dying from it. 28% said they were not willing to stay in their homes. 38.6% believed President López Obrador was handling the situation well, and 37% disapproved.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Brazil on 25 February 2020, when a man from São Paulo tested positive for the virus.  As of 13 May 2020, 188,974 cases have been confirmed in the country, causing 13,149 deaths. Background. On 12 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a new coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. Cases. On 17 March, Brazil's first coronavirus-related death was confirmed. At this time, there were 291 confirmed cases in the country. Three days later, State health departments reported almost a thousand confirmed cases across 23 of 26 states and also in the Federal District. A month after the first confirmed case on February 26, the Ministry of Health reported that Brazil had 2,915 confirmed cases and 77 deaths. On 30 April, Brazil overtook China in number of confirmed cases, passing 87,000. Government responses. The pandemic has caused a large difference of responses from federal, state and local governments. On 27 March Brazil announced a temporary ban on foreign air travelers, and most state governors have added quarantines to prevent the spread of the virus.  Criticism of Bolsonaro's response. Despite the global impact of the virus and guidelines from the World Health Organization, President Jair Bolsonaro says that the risk caused by coronavirus has been exaggerated. State governors have disagreed, causing lockdowns measures in their own states. On 13 March, President Jair Bolsonaro tested negative for COVID-19. The same day, the Ministry of Health issued a warning recommending Brazilians and foreigners arriving in Brazil to stay in isolation for at least 7 days.
The 2020 Pacific typhoon season was an event in which typhoons formed in the Pacific Ocean. The season lasts all year, although most tropical cyclones form between May and October. The season's first tropical cyclone formed on May 10, making it the sixth-latest start in the basin on record. Typhoon Vongfong (Ambo), the season’s first storm, became a Category 3 typhoon and struck the Philippines, causing extensive damages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Season summary. The first few months of 2020 were extremely quiet, with no tropical systems developing between the months of January and April. On May 10, the season saw its first tropical system with the development of Ambo, making it the sixth-latest starting season on record, as well as the latest since 2016. Two days later, the system strengthened to the first officially named tropical storm of the season, Vongfong. Vongfong then hit the Philippines at peak intensity, and weakened soon after landfall. After Vongfong, a month of inactivity ensued, and on June 10, a new tropical depression formed off the coast of Samar, and was named Butchoy by the PAGASA a day later. Butchoy made landfall in the Philippines as the JTWC issued a tropical cyclone formation alert for it. It then got upgraded to a tropical storm, and impacted Hong Kong, Macau and parts of China upon landfall. Typhoon Vongfong. A low-pressure area near Micronesia slowly organized over the course of a few hours, and developed into a tropical depression soon after. It became the first tropical cyclone to form in the Western Pacific in 2020, and PAGASA named it "Ambo". Favourable sea temperatures, low wind shear and excellent vertical outflow made the system intensify into a tropical storm, then the JMA named it "Vongfong". Less than a day later, when convection started to rapidly organize around the storm's center, and a well-defined rain band at the northwest side of the storm, JTWC upgraded it to a typhoon. Vongf
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Portugal in March 2020 by the Directorate-General of Health (DGS). Cases. The first recorded cases of COVID-19 in Portugal were reported on 2 March. A week later, the Portuguese government declared the highest level of alert because of COVID-19 and said it would be maintained until 9 April.  Response. On 18 March, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, declared State of Emergency for the following fifteen days, with the possibility of it being extended. It was the first act of emergency since the Carnation Revolution in 1974. The act was extended on 2 April.