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Healt hcare workers participate in a mock drill for COVID-19 at a hospital in Ahmedabad, India
Image: Ajit Solanki/AP/picture alliance

Coronavirus

Coronaviruses are found in humans and other animals. Different strains cause illnesses of varying severity — from the common cold to SARS to COVID-19. The pandemic declared in March 2020 was caused by a coronavirus.

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All Content on this topic

The popular tourist beach, Playa del Ingles, in the south of Gran Canaria island was nearly empty

ECJ rules tourists deserve refunds for COVID-hit trips

The ECJ says travelers whose package trips were ruined and cut short by the pandemic should receive substantial refunds.
Law and JusticeJanuary 12, 2023
Südafrika Coronavirus l Neue Covid-Variante, Zeitungsschlagzeile in Pretoria

AfricaLink on Air — 11 January 2023

Remembering three years since the first COVID fatality+++State of COVID in Africa+++Dealing with long COVID
PoliticsJanuary 11, 202329:59 min
Government press conference on the coronavirus situation in February 2022

Germany: Head of RKI health agency to step down

Lothar Wieler, who is retiring as RKI head, became a household name during the COVID crisis.
PoliticsJanuary 11, 2023
Barbed wire blocking apartment entrances in China

A reopened China looks at how COVID changed life forever

Although China has dropped "zero-COVID," authorities used the pandemic to develop more ways to crack down on society.
SocietyJanuary 10, 2023
A Chinese girl outside a testing centre at the airport in South Korea

China suspends visas for South Koreans over COVID curbs

Beijing has started retaliatory moves against countries which have imposed restrictions on Chinese travelers.
PoliticsJanuary 10, 2023
Sick woman lying under a blanket blowing her nose

Trouble sleeping a common symptom of long COVID

Various studies show that long COVID patients frequently suffer from insomnia and other sleep problems.
ScienceJanuary 9, 2023
Families reunite - a man and a woman hug at the Beijing International Airport on January 8, 2023

China reopens its border for the first time since 2020

China's easing of restrictions come as people prepare to celebrate the Lunar New Year festival with their families.
HealthJanuary 8, 2023
Chinese passengers at the Beijing International Aiport, December 27, 2022

Germany advises against travel to China amid COVID surge

Germany discouraged nonessential trips to China, two days after it imposed testing requirements for travelers.
HealthJanuary 7, 2023
Plane taking off from Berlin airport with control tower

German air travel slow to recover from COVID-19 pandemic

Germany is lagging behind other EU countries in terms of seats sold on flights to and from the country, figures show.
BusinessJanuary 7, 2023
The Chinese flag overlaid with a series of 1s and 0s

How China uses porn to hide protests

Searching Twitter for news on COVID protests in Mandarin brings up mainly porn. Why is that?
Digital WorldJanuary 6, 202302:38 min
At Union Station in Washington DC, people without masks get on a train

XBB.1.5 likely to be the next major COVID subvariant

The new subvariant is no more deadly than omicron, but early indications suggest that it spreads more quickly.
ScienceJanuary 5, 2023
A COVID testing center at Charles de Gaulle airport

EU recommends pre-flight testing for passengers from China

The European Union has "strongly encouraged" all members to impose tests amid a spike in COVID-19 infections in China.
HealthJanuary 4, 2023
Healthcare workers participate in a mock drill for COVID-19 at a hospital in Mumbai, India

Should India be worried about China's COVID explosion?

Amid China's skyrocketing COVID-19 case numbers, India is preparing for a possible similar scenario.
HealthJanuary 4, 2023
Chinese travellers leave the arrival hall of Rome Fiumicino International Airport, near Rome

EU wants systematic COVID testing for passengers from China

The "overwhelming majority" of EU member states want passengers arriving from China to be tested for COVID-19.
HealthJanuary 3, 2023
A COVID testing center at a Paris airport

China condemns 'unacceptable' COVID test rules for travelers

Bejing said it would consider reciprocal rules against the countries requiring negative tests for arrivals from China.
HealthJanuary 3, 2023
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako appear on the balcony of the Chowaden Reception Hall at the Imperial Palace

Japan's royal family appears on balcony after COVID hiatus

The last time Emperor Naruhito appeared on the Imperial Palace balcony to give a New Year's address was in 2020.
SocietyJanuary 2, 2023
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers her New Year speech at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Taiwan.

Taiwan's Tsai offers assistance to China over COVID spike

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has offered China help to deal with the recent rise in coronavirus infections.
ConflictsJanuary 1, 2023
Fireworks rise about Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in Germany on December 31, 2022

World welcomes New Year 2023 — as it happened

NYE is a time of hope — and countries around the globe are looking forward to better times.
SocietyJanuary 1, 2023
DW World Stories Sendungslogo Composite

World Stories - The Week in Reports

Russians shell hospitals near front lines; Urgent search for women doctors in Afghanistan.
ConflictsDecember 31, 202212:35 min
young people sitting on a bench by the Rhine at sunset

2023: What young Germans wish for — and what they fear

Fear of more war and disease or in hope for a better future? DW asked young people in Germany for their outlook.
SocietyDecember 30, 2022
Hazmat-suit clad cabin crew members begin temperature screening for passengers leaving the US for China, JFK Airport, New York, December 24 2022

UK, France to require COVID-19 tests for arrivals from China

Concerns about China's scale of its current COVID outbreak and skepticism over its health statistics prompted the move.
HealthDecember 30, 2022
Passengers wearing masks at Beijing Capital Airport

COVID: Chinese eye border reopening with both fear and joy

Many are excited about traveling abroad as China is set to open its borders after COVID restrictions are eased.
HealthDecember 30, 2022
People wearing face masks distributing food in a hall

2022: What went well in Germany

Among the stream of bleak news of war, crisis and recession, news of positive developments almost got lost this year.
PoliticsDecember 30, 2022
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A new vision of the virus

Scientists show us what the coronavirus looks like — a different image has emerged from the familiar spikey ball.
ScienceDecember 29, 202202:25 min
DW Covid-19 Special Sendungslogo Composite

The Final Show

After almost 500 episodes, DW's program dedicated to reporting on the pandemic has finished production.
ScienceDecember 29, 202226:06 min
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The COVID-19 crew's lessons from the pandemic

After nearly three years of reporting on COVID-19, what has the team at COVID-19 Special learned?
ScienceDecember 29, 202202:14 min
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Ask Derrick: A goodbye of bloopers!

Even science reporters stuff up, on camera, at least! Some outtakes from DW's popular 'Ask Derrick' series.
ScienceDecember 29, 202201:51 min
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Goodbye from the COVID-19 Special team!

The COVID-19 Special team shares their thoughts and hopes for the future.
ScienceDecember 29, 202201:55 min
Italien Bergamo | Das Leben in ehemaligen Pandemie-Hotspots heute

Bergamo counts the human cost of the COVID pandemic

The Italian city of Bergamo lost many lives to COVID-19 but is now slowly returning to normal.
HealthDecember 29, 202204:59 min
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Colombia: How COVID funeral restrictions compounded grief

Self-help groups in Colombia seek to help people who have lost loved ones in the pandemic.
HealthDecember 29, 202204:43 min
A woman grooms the hair of another woman

The ongoing price of the pandemic in Brazil

Many Brazilians are still struggling to get by now because of problems created by the pandemic.
HealthDecember 29, 202205:18 min
discarded mask on the ground on a street

Germany's new COVID debate

Germany debates lifting COVID restrictions; the EU considers imposing new ones as China lifts travel restrictions.
HealthDecember 29, 2022
A person in a protective suit stands in an airport as travelers wait to board buses to leave for quarantine in China

EU agency says COVID checks on China travelers 'unjustified'

Italy has called for EU rules on arrivals from China, where COVID restrictions were scrapped despite a surge in cases.
HealthDecember 29, 2022
Passengers wearing face masks pull baggage at a departure lobby in Beijing Capital International Airport

US to require negative COVID tests for travelers from China

The United States is the latest country to demand negative COVID tests from travelers amid surging cases in China.
HealthDecember 28, 2022
Passengers wearing face masks pull baggage at a departure lobby in LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal in Los Angeles, US

China's move to lift COVID travel ban sparks concern

People in China are rushing to see their loved ones abroad, but experts have warned of potential new COVID variants.
ScienceDecember 28, 2022
View of passenger terminal in Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong drops COVID tests for international arrivals

Travelers will no longer need to take a PCR test on arrival as the city moves to scrap a range of coronavirus measures.
HealthDecember 28, 2022
Passengers wearing face masks pull baggage at a departure lobby in Beijing Capital International Airport

Japan to require COVID-19 tests for visitors from China

Japan had now joined India in requiring travelers from China to show a negative coronavirus test on arrival.
TravelDecember 27, 2022
A person wearing a virtual reality headset

VR gives a glimpse into life with long COVID

A Berlin hospital is using virtual reality simulation to give people a sense of what living with long COVID is like.
HealthDecember 27, 202202:14 min
German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann called for the last restrictive measures to be lifted

Top German virologist says COVID-19 pandemic is over

Famous virologist Christian Drosten believes the coronavirus pandemic has ended and COVID-19 is now an endemic disease.
HealthDecember 26, 2022
A health worker takes a swab sample from a man to be tested for COVID-19 at a hospital in Beijing, December 26, 2022

Xi Jinping: China is facing 'new situation' amid COVID surge

Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked authorities to launch an health campaign in a more "targeted" way to fight COVID.
HealthDecember 26, 2022
A patient walks into a fever clinic in central Beijing.

China stops publishing COVID-19 data amid rise in infections

A British based health data firm estimated that there are nearly 5,000 deaths a day in China from COVID-19.
HealthDecember 25, 2022
Passengers are directed by workers in n protective gear to a flight at a Capital airport terminal in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022

COVID: German politician urges halt to China flights

CDU lawmaker Jürgen Hardt warned that China's COVID-19 surge "threatened the whole world with a new wave of infections."
HealthDecember 23, 2022
Medical staff and patient at hospital in Zhouzhou, Hebei, China

China: WHO report lacks COVID-19 hospitalization data

China's hospitals have seen a surge in admissions since the country relaxed lockdown rules this month.
PoliticsDecember 22, 2022
An Indian doctor looks at a lung X-ray with female patient behind him

India: COVID reverses gains in fight against tuberculosis

The Indian government wants to end the spread of TB by 2025, but COVID-19 has made the battle much more difficult.
HealthDecember 22, 2022
DW Covid-19 Special Sendungslogo Composite

COVID-19 Special: Pandemic heroes

Many people helped others during the pandemic. This Christmas special is dedicated to them.
ScienceDecember 22, 202226:06 min
Covid-19 Special: Helden der Pandemie

Taiwan: A community chief makes a big difference

How a village chief used his experience of SARS to help his neighbors cope with COVID-19.
HealthDecember 22, 202203:32 min
Covid-19 Special: Helden der Pandemie

RNA: the ‘medicinal software’ of the future

RNA technology looks set to have a huge impact on the treatment of deadly diseases. Here's how.
ScienceDecember 22, 202202:22 min
Covid-19 Special: Helden der Pandemie

COVID-19: Healthcare workers under stress

Many nurses are undergoing therapy to help them cope with the professional and personal stress caused by the pandemic.
HealthDecember 22, 202205:00 min
Covid-19 Special: Helden der Pandemie

Expert analysis of the pandemic

Almost three years into the coronavirus pandemic, it's time to take stock.
HealthDecember 22, 202202:06 min
Covid-19 Special: Helden der Pandemie

South Africa's pandemic hero

Professor Salim Abdool Karim helped discover several COVID variants.
ScienceDecember 22, 202205:51 min