Coronavirus global health emergency: Coverage from UN News
The outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019

This page brings together information and guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations regarding the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that was first reported in Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019. Please visit this page for daily updates. 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.
A mother and her child in the Haji camp for internally displaced people in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
© UNICEF Afghanistan

News in Brief 13 August 2021

13 August 2021
News in Brief
  • Fast-moving Afghanistan crisis ‘has hallmarks of humanitarian catastrophe'
  • UN health agency WHO urges support for new COVID-19 origins studies
  • Widespread DRCongo sexual abuse alert from UNHCR
Audio -
3'21"
A digital illustration of the coronavirus shows the crown-like appearance of the virus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

UN health agency urges support for new COVID-19 origins studies

13 August 2021
Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged all countries “to put differences aside” in order to speed up efforts to understand where and how the COVID-19 virus started – including the unproven suggestion that it was manufactured in a laboratory.