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Coronavirus global health emergency

Secretary-General António Guterres speaks with hospital worker

Only together can we end this pandemic and recover

One full year into the COVID-19 pandemic, our world has faced a tsunami of suffering. So many lives have been lost. Economies have been upended and societies left reeling. The most vulnerable have suffered the most. Those left behind are being left even further behind. 

 

Secretary-General looking up next to the UN flag.
António Guterres
15 Jan 2021 | Secretary-General

2 million COVID-19 deaths: “Our world can only get ahead of this virus one way - together”

Our world has reached a heart-wrenching milestone: the COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed two million lives. In his video message, Secretary-General António Guterres encourages global solidarity to save lives, protect people and help defeat this vicious virus.

Disabilities advocate Mónika Zsúnyi, 26, stands front of the local youth office in her town of Temerin, Serbia. Photo courtesy Mónika Zsúnyi
RCO Serbia
14 Feb 2021 | UNICs

Serbian woman promotes rights of people with disabilities during COVID-19

Mónika Zsúnyi is 26 years old and lives in Temerin, Serbia. She holds a MSc degree in Applied Mathematics, she is engaged in 3D modeling and loves to read. Living with a cerebral palsy, she is also very active in promoting rights of people with disabilities in Serbia.

A vacant amphitheatre near the Peoples' Friendship Arch in Kyiv, Ukraine is normally a popular spot for students. Under COVID-19, students face increased socio-economic pressures including isolation and food insecurity. United Nations photo: Volodymyr Shu
UNRIC Brussels
10 Feb 2021 | UNICs

During the pandemic, students rely on solidarity

Isolated, abandoned, depressed. Those are the words used to describe how students feel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them must study online with very little social interaction. Unprecedented solitude leads to psychological suffering, in addition to growing impoverishment.

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WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with global experts, governments and partners to rapidly expand scientific knowledge on this new virus, to track the spread and virulence of the virus, and to provide advice to countries and individuals on measures to protect health and prevent the spread of this outbreak. 

WHO’s response in countries

Find out how the WHO is working across its 149 country offices to assist communities all over the world.

What is a Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Find out more about this novel coronavirus (nCoV) that has not been previously identified in humans.

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FAQs

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? How can I protect myself? Should I worry about COVID-19? Get the answers.

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Information from the UN System

Everyone is talking about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Be sure to get your facts from reliable sources. The UN offices, field missions, agencies, funds and programmes are providing new information as it becomes available. Here are some of their resource pages.

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Information for UN personnel

The United Nations is closely monitoring the situation with the COVID-19 outbreak. This page features important advisories, guidelines, resources, and materials on the COVID-19 outbreak for all UN duty stations, offices, personnel and their families, visitors, and UN healthcare workers, as well as advice on maintaining wellness. It is updated with the latest available information.

 

Meetings

Get information on UN meetings that are being held virtually due to COVID-19.

 

Documents

General Assembly resolutions

Secretary-General's reports

 

Video

Broadcast-quality video 

UN WebTV COVID-19 playlist

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Communication Materials

Social media posters, advice for patients and health workers and key scenarios for printing

Novel Coronavirus Situation

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hospital workers displaying vaccine box

12 March 2021 - The UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that it was aware of blood clot concerns linked to “a specific batch” of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, but maintained that to date, no-one has died from any coronavirus vaccine.

 

man getting vaccinated

11 March 2021 - After 12 months where the world has faced “a tsunami of suffering”, the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines represents “some light at the end of the tunnel” said the UN chief on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) issuing its pandemic alert.

 

The ancient Pyramids at Giza in Egypt

8 March 2021 - Around a third of 217 world travel destinations surveyed remain completely closed to international tourists, as concerns grow over the impact of new coronavirus variants, and some governments reverse efforts to ease restrictions, according to a new report released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Monday.

 

As new variants emerge people are wondering if they should wait until a more efficacious vaccine is available or if they should go ahead and get vaccinated now? Answering your questions on COVID-19 vaccines and variants in this episode of Science in 5 is WHO's Dr Soumya Swaminathan.

Feeling sad, stressed or anxious while coping with COVID-19 is normal. Adjusting to new ways of learning and working is difficult. But know this: You are not alone. As part of UNICEF's Youth Mediathon, a group of young content creators from Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia, were challenged to reimagine the future of mental health and made this video.

 

Dr. Soumya stands for a photo op surrounded by health workers

In this latest episode of Awake at Night, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO), shares her insights on how lessons from other infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV have shaped our response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The clinical scientist also discusses how new technologies have given us the possibility to control diseases in ways we’ve never had before.