COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 (short for CORonaVIrus Disease-2019) was a novel coronavirus disease that became a global pandemic in Universe ZZ09ZSA in 2020. First identified in Wuhan, China, the disease was caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, and was linked to a number of serious and life-threatening health issues, including pneumonia, heart and organ diseases, and severe fever. As of August of 2020, there were over 19 million known cases, and over 700,000 deaths linked to the disease. The disease also resulted in a severe global economic recession, as nations "locked down" to attempt to slow the spread of the disease.

As of August of 2020, the most significantly-affected nations were the United States, with over 160,000 deaths; Brazil, with approximately 100,000 deaths; and several European nations including Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Italy.