Six years since the coronavirus announcement: key facts

On January 9, 2026, six years have passed since Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization on December 31, 2019 about cases of unknown pneumonia in Wuhan, and on January 9, 2020 the pathogen was given the name COVID-19.

The World Health Organization declared the spread of the virus a pandemic on March 11, 2020. According to official data, the pandemic has claimed more than seven million lives worldwide.

In Northern Cyprus, the first confirmed case was recorded on March 10, 2020 — a 65-year-old tourist from Germany. According to the Ministry of Health of the TRNC, 263 deaths were registered during the pandemic in Northern Cyprus, including eight-year-old Meryem Ceren Kırma, who died on November 10 at the Emergency Hospital; her death was recorded as the youngest COVID-19 fatality in the territory.

In Turkey, the first case was announced on March 11, 2020; by the end of 2022, the total number of deaths in Turkey amounted to approximately 101,492 people.

During the pandemic, mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing, bans on mass events, periodic movement restrictions, a shift to distance learning, and other measures were applied, leading to significant strain on healthcare systems and changes in everyday life.