when did covid 19 start

The COVID-19 pandemic started with the discovery of the virus in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization (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. Early cases were identified in December 2019, with the first cluster of patients showing symptoms of pneumonia of unknown cause reported on December 21, 2019, in Wuhan. The virus spread globally in early 2020, leading to widespread outbreaks and lockdowns worldwide.