The Corona virus is speculated to have originated from the Wuhan Seafood market in China.
At least 170 people have died from a new coronavirus in China following an outbreak in the central city of Wuhan, forcing a government lockdown in almost 20 cities that, in effect, has quarantined an estimated 56 million people.
Nearly 8,000 cases have been reported, most of them in China and especially in Wuhan and nearby cities in Hubei province.
On 31 December 2019, WHO was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. The virus did not match any other known virus. This raised concern because when a virus is new, we do not know how it affects people. WHO has been working with Chinese authorities and global experts from the day we were informed, to learn more about the virus, how it affects the people who are sick with it, how they can be treated, and what countries can do to respond.