Five years ago on Dec. 19, 2019, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of “viral pneumonia” in Wuhan, China. In the weeks, months, and years that unfolded after that, COVID-19 came to reshape the world. 

WHO employees activated emergency systems on Jan. 1, 2020, and informed the world on Jan. 4, 2020. By mid-January 2020, WHO had published its first set of comprehensive guidance for countries and blueprint of the first SARS-CoV-2 laboratory test. Read about WHO’s actions in this timeline.

WHO continues to call on China to share data and access to better understand the origins of COVID-19. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics, WHO said.

Is the world better prepared for the next pandemic than we were for COVID-19? In a recent press conference Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said:

“Yes, and No. If the next pandemic arrived today, the world would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that gave COVID-19 a foothold five years ago. But the world has also learned many of the painful lessons the pandemic taught us and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defenses against future epidemics and pandemics.”

In turn, the WHO has established the Pandemic Fund, which is now financing 19 projects in 37 countries with US$338 in grants. WHO has supported many countries to strengthen their lab capacity to detect and sequence pathogens. It also established the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Germany to foster collaborative surveillance. To improve local production of vaccines and other medical products, WHO established the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub in South Africa and a Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing in the Republic of Korea. To improve equitable access to life-saving tools, WHO established an interim Medical Countermeasures Network. With partners, WHO also established the Global Health Emergency Corps.

In May 2024, the World Health Assembly adopted a package of amendments to the International Health Regulations. WHO member countries also continue to negotiate the WHO Pandemic Agreement. They are committed to finalizing the agreement in time for the World Health Assembly in May.

A lawsuit against Katz’s Delicatesses in New York City for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violations was settled in December. The legendary Lower East Side eatery agreed to pay a US$20,000 penalty, and improve physical accessibility, including to its restrooms, entrances, and seating, according to Edward Y. Kim, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

According to a complaint, the over-century-old deli was found to have several ADA violations, including noncompliant restrooms despite renovations in 2018. Under a new consent decree, Katz’s will renovate the restrooms and improve accessibility at its entrances and dining areas.

The lawsuit and consent decree conclude the U.S. Attorney’s Manhattan Restaurants ADA Compliance Initiative, launched in September 2011, which reviewed ADA compliance at Manhattan’s 50 “most popular” restaurants determined by the 2011 Zagat Guide.