# COVID-19: from Wuhan to the world, 2019–2023 > Interactive animated map on Moving Polygons by chrisjager, 31 Dec 2019 – 5 May 2023: 51 keyframes, 14 layers, 49 events. - Map: https://www.movingpolygons.com/map/chrisjager/covid-19-from-wuhan-to-the-world-20192023 - Article: [COVID-19 From Wuhan to the World: The Pandemic and Its Variants on One Map (2019–2023)](https://www.movingpolygons.com/blog/covid-19-pandemic-map-2019-2023) - Embed: `` - Last updated: 2026-10-09 ## About this map How COVID-19 spread from a pneumonia cluster in Wuhan to every country, and how variants then took turns sweeping the world. Part 1 (Dec 2019 – Aug 2020) colours each country (provinces in China, regions in Italy, states in the US) by new confirmed cases per million in the 14 days before each date; a country first appears as a circle around the city of its first confirmed case. Part 2 (Oct 2020 – May 2023) colours each country by the variant that made up most of its sequenced samples in the previous four weeks; countries with too few sequences stay uncoloured. Confirmed cases depend on testing and undercount real infections, especially early on and in countries that tested little. Sources: WHO COVID-19 dashboard and Our World in Data (cases, deaths); JHU CSSE (China, Taiwan); The New York Times (US states); Protezione Civile (Italy); CoVariants.org / GISAID (variants); Wikipedia (first cases, events). ## Timeline The map animates between these keyframes. | Date | What the map shows | | --- | --- | | 31 Dec 2019 | 31 Dec 2019 · Wuhan reports a pneumonia cluster | | 13 Jan 2020 | 13 Jan 2020 · first case outside China | | 20 Jan 2020 | 20 Jan 2020 · human-to-human spread confirmed | | 23 Jan 2020 | 23 Jan 2020 · Wuhan is locked down | | 27 Jan 2020 | 27 Jan 2020 · spreading across China | | 30 Jan 2020 | 30 Jan 2020 · WHO: global health emergency | | 6 Feb 2020 | 6 Feb 2020 · Hubei overwhelmed | | 13 Feb 2020 | 13 Feb 2020 · Diamond Princess, Singapore | | 20 Feb 2020 | 20 Feb 2020 · Daegu church cluster | | 25 Feb 2020 | 25 Feb 2020 · Lombardy and Iran | | 1 Mar 2020 | 1 Mar 2020 · Europe's first hotspots | | 6 Mar 2020 | 6 Mar 2020 · 100,000 cases worldwide | | 11 Mar 2020 | 11 Mar 2020 · WHO declares a pandemic | | 16 Mar 2020 | 16 Mar 2020 · Europe is the epicentre | | 21 Mar 2020 | 21 Mar 2020 · lockdowns across the world | | 26 Mar 2020 | 26 Mar 2020 · New York, Spain, Italy | | 2 Apr 2020 | 2 Apr 2020 · one million cases | | 8 Apr 2020 | 8 Apr 2020 · Wuhan reopens | | 15 Apr 2020 | 15 Apr 2020 · peak of the first wave | | 25 Apr 2020 | 25 Apr 2020 · Europe slows down | | 8 May 2020 | 8 May 2020 · Brazil, Russia, Peru rise | | 22 May 2020 | 22 May 2020 · the Americas take over | | 8 Jun 2020 | 8 Jun 2020 · Europe reopens | | 25 Jun 2020 | 25 Jun 2020 · India, Brazil, US Sun Belt | | 15 Jul 2020 | 15 Jul 2020 · the American summer wave | | 5 Aug 2020 | 5 Aug 2020 · South Africa, India, Latin America | | 28 Aug 2020 | 28 Aug 2020 · Europe's second wave begins | | 1 Oct 2020 | Oct 2020 · Second wave, earlier lineages | | 15 Nov 2020 | Nov 2020 · Alpha found in Kent | | 15 Dec 2020 | Dec 2020 · Alpha and Beta, first vaccines | | 15 Jan 2021 | Jan 2021 · Alpha takes Britain, Gamma Manaus | | 15 Feb 2021 | Feb 2021 · Alpha spreads through Europe | | 15 Mar 2021 | Mar 2021 · Alpha, Beta, Gamma | | 15 Apr 2021 | Apr 2021 · Delta erupts in India | | 15 May 2021 | May 2021 · Delta reaches Britain | | 15 Jun 2021 | Jun 2021 · Delta takes over | | 15 Jul 2021 | Jul 2021 · Delta everywhere | | 15 Aug 2021 | Aug 2021 · Delta's summer | | 1 Oct 2021 | Oct 2021 · a Delta world | | 26 Nov 2021 | 26 Nov 2021 · Omicron named | | 15 Dec 2021 | 15 Dec 2021 · Omicron races ahead | | 5 Jan 2022 | 5 Jan 2022 · Omicron BA.1 everywhere | | 1 Feb 2022 | Feb 2022 · BA.2 rises | | 15 Mar 2022 | Mar 2022 · BA.2 dominant | | 1 May 2022 | May 2022 · BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa | | 15 Jun 2022 | Jun 2022 · BA.5 spreads | | 1 Aug 2022 | Aug 2022 · BA.5 dominant | | 1 Oct 2022 | Oct 2022 · the variant soup: BQ.1, XBB | | 1 Dec 2022 | Dec 2022 · China ends zero-COVID | | 1 Feb 2023 | Feb 2023 · XBB.1.5 spreads | | 5 May 2023 | 5 May 2023 · WHO ends the emergency | ## Layers | Layer | First shown | Last keyframe | | --- | --- | --- | | Cases reported (under 10 new cases per million in 14 days) | 31 Dec 2019 | 1 Oct 2020 | | 10–100 new cases per million in 14 days | 27 Jan 2020 | 1 Oct 2020 | | 100–500 new cases per million in 14 days | 6 Feb 2020 | 1 Oct 2020 | | 500+ new cases per million in 14 days | 13 Feb 2020 | 1 Oct 2020 | | Dominant variant: Earlier lineages | 1 Oct 2020 | 15 Dec 2021 | | Dominant variant: Alpha (B.1.1.7) | 15 Jan 2021 | 26 Nov 2021 | | Dominant variant: Beta (B.1.351) | 15 Nov 2020 | 26 Nov 2021 | | Dominant variant: Gamma (P.1) | 15 Mar 2021 | 26 Nov 2021 | | Dominant variant: Other variants (Epsilon, Iota, Lambda, Mu…) | 15 Feb 2021 | 1 Oct 2021 | | Dominant variant: Delta (B.1.617.2) | 15 Mar 2021 | 1 Aug 2022 | | Dominant variant: Omicron BA.1 | 26 Nov 2021 | 1 Oct 2022 | | Dominant variant: Omicron BA.2 | 5 Jan 2022 | 5 May 2023 | | Dominant variant: Omicron BA.4 / BA.5 (incl. BQ.1) | 1 May 2022 | 5 May 2023 | | Dominant variant: Omicron XBB | 1 Oct 2022 | 5 May 2023 | ## Events - **31 Dec 2019, Wuhan pneumonia cluster reported to WHO**: Wuhan health authorities publish a notice on cases of viral pneumonia; the WHO China office notes it and informs the regional office. Early cases include a cluster linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. - **10 Jan 2020, China shares the virus genome**: The first SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from Chinese institutions are made public via Virological.org and GISAID, enabling diagnostic tests to be developed worldwide. - **11 Jan 2020, First death reported in Wuhan**: Chinese state media report the first death from the new coronavirus, a 61-year-old man who was a regular customer at the Huanan Seafood Market; he died on 9 January. - **13 Jan 2020, First case confirmed outside China: Thailand**: Thailand confirms a case in a 61-year-old woman from Wuhan, the first confirmed case outside China. - **21 Jan 2020, First US case announced**: The CDC announces the first US case, a man from Snohomish County, Washington, who had returned from Wuhan on 15 January and sought care in Everett. - **23 Jan 2020, Wuhan placed under lockdown**: Traffic in and out of Wuhan, a city of over 11 million, is stopped. Other Hubei cities follow within days, affecting tens of millions of people. - **24 Jan 2020, First cases in Europe confirmed in France**: France confirms three cases, in Bordeaux and Paris, the first in Europe. - **30 Jan 2020, WHO declares a Public Health Emergency**: The WHO declares the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, its highest level of alert. - **3 Feb 2020, Huoshenshan hospital opens in Wuhan**: A 1,000-bed hospital, built in about ten days, receives its first patients. - **3 Feb 2020, Diamond Princess quarantined at Yokohama**: The cruise ship returns to Yokohama and is quarantined; 712 of the 3,711 people aboard are eventually infected. - **7 Feb 2020, Death of Dr Li Wenliang in Wuhan**: Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who had warned colleagues about early cases in December, dies of COVID-19 aged 34. - **17 Feb 2020, Mulhouse church gathering seeds French spread**: A week-long gathering of the Christian Open Door Church (17 to 24 February), attended by about 2,500 people, becomes a significant early cluster in France. - **18 Feb 2020, Daegu church cluster begins South Korea surge**: South Korea's 31st case, a member of the Shincheonji church in Daegu, is confirmed; case numbers rise rapidly in the following days. - **19 Feb 2020, Iran reports first cases in Qom**: Two people test positive in Qom, Iran's first confirmed cases. Within weeks several countries report cases among travellers from Iran. - **21 Feb 2020, Codogno cluster and Lombardy red zone**: Clusters are detected in Lombardy and Veneto. On 22 February Italy announces quarantine for more than 50,000 people in 11 municipalities, including Codogno. - **9 Mar 2020, Italy locks down the whole country**: Measures first applied in the red zones are extended to all of Italy, placing about 60 million people in lockdown. - **11 Mar 2020, WHO characterises COVID-19 as a pandemic**: The WHO Director-General says COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic. - **13 Mar 2020, Tyrol quarantines Ischgl**: The Tyrolean ski resort is quarantined from 13 March to 22 April. Infections among visitors there were traced to hundreds of cases in Austria, Germany and Nordic countries. - **14 Mar 2020, Spain declares a state of alarm**: A nationwide state of alarm for 15 days takes effect, restricting movement across Spain. - **19 Mar 2020, China reports no new local cases**: China reports no new locally transmitted cases, including in Wuhan and Hubei, for the first time; the 34 new cases are all imported. - **19 Mar 2020, Army deployed in Bergamo as dead overwhelm city**: The army is deployed in Bergamo, the worst-hit Italian city, to carry the dead to crematoriums in other cities because local cemeteries are full. - **23 Mar 2020, United Kingdom orders a national lockdown**: The prime minister announces a stay-at-home order for the UK; it becomes legally effective on 26 March. - **24 Mar 2020, Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed**: The IOC, organisers and the Japanese prime minister announce the Games will be rescheduled, the only postponement in Olympic history. - **25 Mar 2020, India begins a 21-day national lockdown**: Announced on 24 March and effective from midnight, the lockdown covers India's whole population, about 1.38 billion people, and triggers a large movement of migrant workers. - **7 Apr 2020, New York State records its highest toll yet**: New York State reports 731 deaths in 24 hours, its highest single-day total up to then, with New York City the centre of the US outbreak. - **8 Apr 2020, Wuhan lockdown lifted after 76 days**: The lockdown that began on 23 January ends and transport in Wuhan resumes. - **11 Jun 2020, Beijing Xinfadi market cluster**: A case is confirmed in Beijing and linked to the Xinfadi wholesale market; testing finds dozens more positive samples and the city re-imposes restrictions. - **16 Jun 2020, Dexamethasone shown to cut deaths**: The RECOVERY trial reports that dexamethasone cut deaths by about a third in ventilated patients and a fifth in patients on oxygen. - **11 Aug 2020, Russia registers Sputnik V**: Russia registers its adenovirus-vector vaccine before phase 3 trials are completed. - **28 Sep 2020, Global COVID-19 deaths pass one million**: Johns Hopkins University's tally of reported deaths passes one million, nine months into the pandemic. - **4 Nov 2020, Denmark orders culling of all farmed mink**: The government orders every farmed mink in the country slaughtered over fears of viral mutations. - **9 Nov 2020, Pfizer-BioNTech report efficacy above 90%**: BioNTech, based in Mainz, and Pfizer report an interim analysis showing their mRNA vaccine is more than 90% effective. - **8 Dec 2020, First vaccination outside trials in the UK**: Margaret Keenan, 90, receives the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at University Hospital Coventry, the first person in the world vaccinated outside trials. - **14 Dec 2020, Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) identified in Kent**: The UK health secretary announces a new variant spreading faster in south-east England; it was first identified in Kent and sampled from September. - **18 Dec 2020, Beta variant announced in South Africa**: South Africa announces a new lineage, later named Beta, first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay in Eastern Cape. - **6 Jan 2021, Gamma variant identified, traced to Manaus**: Japan's NIID detects a new variant in travellers from Amazonas state; the lineage, later named Gamma, emerged in Manaus. - **14 Jan 2021, Manaus hospitals run short of oxygen**: Demand for oxygen peaks in Manaus and the city cannot meet it; some patients are transferred to other states. - **22 Feb 2021, United States passes 500,000 reported deaths**: The US passes 500,000 reported COVID-19 deaths, five weeks after passing 400,000. - **24 Feb 2021, COVAX delivers its first vaccines to Ghana**: Ghana becomes the first country to receive vaccines through COVAX, with 600,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. - **7 May 2021, India's second wave sets a record for daily cases**: India reports over 414,000 new cases in 24 hours, a world record at the time, amid oxygen and hospital bed shortages. - **31 May 2021, WHO introduces Greek-letter names for variants**: The WHO announces simple labels based on the Greek alphabet, naming Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. - **23 Aug 2021, FDA fully approves the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine**: The US FDA approves the vaccine, branded Comirnaty, for people aged 16 and older. - **24 Nov 2021, South Africa reports Omicron to the WHO**: South Africa's genomic surveillance network reports B.1.1.529 to the WHO; on 26 November the WHO designates it a variant of concern and names it Omicron. - **3 Jan 2022, US reports over one million daily cases**: During the Omicron surge the US reports more than 1 million new cases in one day, partly reflecting holiday reporting backlog. - **28 Mar 2022, Shanghai begins a staged lockdown**: Shanghai begins a staged lockdown, first east of the Huangpu river; it extends citywide in early April, affecting 25 million people, and ends on 1 June. - **12 May 2022, North Korea acknowledges its first outbreak**: State media report positive COVID-19 samples and declare a severe national emergency, after more than two years of reporting no cases. - **24 Nov 2022, Urumqi fire sparks protests over restrictions**: A fatal fire in a residential building in Urumqi, a city under long restrictions, is followed by protests in several Chinese cities. - **7 Dec 2022, China eases its zero-COVID policy**: China loosens rules on detention of positive cases and compulsory PCR tests; the policy is widely regarded as ended after the health code app is taken offline on 12 December. - **5 May 2023, WHO ends the COVID-19 emergency**: The WHO ends the Public Health Emergency of International Concern for COVID-19. - Plus 368 smaller events, shown as dots on the map.