The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a pandemic over a new coronavirus, which causes an illness known as COVID-19 that has spread to nearly every country.

The disease has killed more than 952,000 people and infected more than 30.5 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 20.8 million people have recovered.

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Below is a timeline:

September 14 - 20

On September 19, Spain imposed restrictions in certain portions of the capital Madrid.

Frace recorded over 13,000 cases on September 18, its biggest daily number of coronavirus infections to date.

On September 17, Canada's top medical officer issued a warning that the country could lost its ability to manage the pandemic due to a worrying spike in new COVID-19 cases.

On September 16, India crossed 5 million confirmed cases, the second-highest number of infections in the world.

The Asian Development Bank on September 15 said the economies of ''developing Asia'' will contract by 0.7 percent in 2020, the first contraction in nearly six decades.

September 7 - 13

On September 12, Mexico's death toll passed 70,000 as a new study showed England's coronavirus case count was doubling every seven to eight days. Canada meanwhile reported zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time since March.

India recorded over 95,000 cases on September 10, the highest reported in one day globally. Greece, France and Palestine also reported a record number of daily coronavirus cases since the outbreak began.

On September 9, clinical trials of one of the most promising candidate vaccines, AstraZeneca, were suspended after one of the trials' volunteers fell ill with an unexplained illness.

India overtook Brazil on September 7 as the country with the second-most coronavirus cases in the world, with more than 4.2 million infections to date.

August 31 - September 6

On September 6, Australia's coronavirus hotspot state of Victoria extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne by two weeks to the end of September as infection rates declined more slowly than hoped.

On September 4, Iraq's health ministry warned hospitals may "lose control" in the coming days as the country recorded 5,036 new coronavirus cases, its highest single-day rise since the start of the pandemic.

On September 2, Australia reported figures showing the economy contracted 7 percent in the second quarter after a 0.3 percent decline in the first quarter, entering its first recession period in almost 30 years.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the United States on August 31 surged past the six million mark, with states including Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota reporting daily records.

August 24 - 30

On August 29, Indonesia reported its biggest rise in infections for a third successive day, while Ukraine and Myanmar also registered a record daily rise in coronavirus cases.

On August 28, Russia's coronavirus cases surpassed 980,000, while India reported another record daily jump of 77,266 infections.

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on August 27 that the continent has seen a 20-percent decrease in confirmed cases in the past week, with 23 of 54 countries reporting a sustained decrease in new cases in the past couple of weeks

The total number of coronavirus cases passed 24 million on August 26, with over 821,000 deaths recorded.

On August 24, Mexico reported 226 more deaths from the coronavirus, finishing the week with 3,723 fatalities, the lowest total in over two months.

August 17 - 23

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) warned on August 23 that the country is on the brink of a nationwide outbreak following the highest daily number of coronavirus cases recorded since March.

India, the third-worst-affected country in the world, on August 20 reported a record number of cases of coronavirus.

Spain reported the highest number of coronavirus infections on August 19 since it lifted the lockdown in late June.

On August 18, South Korea announced a ban on large public gatherings and ordered a closure of churches and nightspots in the greater capital area after more than 400 cases were linked to a huge church in northern Seoul.

On August 17, Lebanon's caretaker health minister, Hamad Hassan, has called for a two-week lockdown following a surge of coronavirus cases since the Beirut port blast on August 4.

August 10 - 16

Faced with an uptick in coronavirus cases, Italy ordered mask wearing in public from 6pm - 6am and a three-week closure of all dance venues on August 16. France and South Korea also saw a resurgence in coronavirus infections.

The French health ministry on August 15 reported more than 2,500 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, setting a new post-lockdown daily high for the third day in a row, and taking the country's cumulative total of cases to 249,611.

India's coronavirus death toll overtook the United Kingdom's on August 14 to become the fourth-highest in the world as authorities reported another single-day record increase in confirmed infections.

On August 13, Argentina and Mexico said they will produce the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for most of Latin America. Meanwhile, the Brazilian state of Parana signed a deal to test and produce Russia's new coronavirus vaccine.

On August 12, both France and Germany registered their highest daily increase in months.

On August 11, President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia has developed the world's first vaccine against coronavirus. On the same day, New Zealand announced four new cases of COVID-19 after 102 days with no community transmission.

On August 10, Russia reported more than 5,000 daily coronavirus cases. On the same day, global coronavirus cases went past 20 million as the casualty figure crossed 736,000.

August 3 - 9

The United States on August 9 surpassed five million coronavirus cases, the highest in the world.

On August 8, coronavirus deaths in Brazil crossed 100,000, the second-highest number globally after the US.

Mexico surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths on August 7, the third highest in the world after the United States and Brazil.

On August 6, the Philippines recorded more than 3,500 new coronavirus cases to overtake neighbouring Indonesia as the country with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in East Asia.

Meanwhile, India saw the biggest single-day jump in deaths with 904 fatalities, as its total number of cases approached two million.

On August 5, the global death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 700,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University and Reuters tallies, with the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico leading the number of deaths.

On August 3, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there might never be a "silver bullet" answer to the new coronavirus, despite the rush to discover effective vaccines.

The US is in a new phase of the outbreak, with infections "extraordinarily widespread" in rural areas as well as cities, a White House expert said, as cases hit 4.68 million with more than 155,000 deaths reported.

Parliamentary elections will go ahead in Sri Lanka despite fears of the spread of coronavirus.

July 27 - August 2

On August 2, the death toll in Latin America from the novel coronavirus had surpassed 200,000, a Reuters tally showed, after Peru reported another 191 deaths from the pandemic.

The World Health Organization on August 1 warned the COVID-19 pandemic was likely to be "lengthy", as it met to evaluate the situation, six months after sounding the international alarm.

That same day, Libya's United Nations-recognised government in Tripoli announced it would impose a full lockdown in areas of the country it controls, after a rise in COVID-19 cases.

On July 28, Germany's foreign ministry advised holidaymakers not to travel to several Spanish regions that have seen coronavirus infection rates rise, including Catalonia, home to Barcelona.

The world's biggest COVID-19 vaccine study got under way on July 27 with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the US government along with Moderna Inc - one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global vaccine race.

July 20 - July 26

On July 26, North Korea's state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un has placed the city of Kaesong near the border with South Korea under total lockdown over coronavirus concerns, and declared a state of emergency to contain a potential outbreak.

Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world, surpassed 800,000 coronavirus infections on July 24.

On July 23, the South African Medical Research Council reported a "huge discrepancy" between the country’s confirmed COVID-19 deaths and the number of excess deaths from natural causes.

Iran, the Middle East's worst-hit country, reported a new single-day record death toll of 229 from the coronavirus on July 21. Iran began relaxing its lockdown in mid-April.

On July 20 scientists at Oxford University said their experimental coronavirus vaccine prompted a protective immune response in hundreds of people who got the shot. The vaccine called AZD1222 is one of 150 in development globally, but is considered the most advanced.

July 13 - July 19

The United States on July 13 has added more than 56,000 new coronavirus cases, including at least 15,000 in the state of Florida, pushing the nationwide total to 3.3 million cases, with more than 135,000 deaths.

On July 14, the WHO has warned the pandemic could get far worse if countries around the world do not follow basic healthcare precautions. Meanwhile Hong Kong is set to impose its toughest restrictive measures after authorities warned the risk of a large-scale outbreak was extremely high.

On July 15, researchers in the US said that the first vaccine tested in the country had worked to boost patients' immune systems and is set for final testing. This is as the number of cases nationwide rose by 65,682 for a total of 3.45 million.

July 6 - July 12

On July 6, India overtook Russia with the world's third-highest number of novel coronavirus cases, at nearly 700,000.

On July 7, lockdown measures were reimposed in Australia's second biggest city, confining Melbourne residents to their homes unless undertaking essential business for six weeks.

The United States on July 8 officially notified the United Nations secretary-general of the country's withdrawal from the World Health Organization even as it grapples with nearly three million cases of coronavirus.

On July 10 Hong Kong will close all schools after the territory reported a spike in locally transmitted COVID-19 infections. Meanwhile in northern Syria, the first coronavirus case has been confirmed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on July 11 reported a record daily increase in global coronavirus cases, with the total rising by 228,102 in 24 hours.

June 29 - July 5

The US health secretary Alex Azar warned the "window is closing" for decisive action to curb the virus as cases there surge.

In Pakistan, the number of coronavirus cases passed the 200,000 mark after 3,602 new infections were reported.

Australia's second most-populous state said on June 29 that it is considering reimposing social distancing restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new coronavirus infections in more than two months.

Propelled by Victoria state reporting 75 cases, Australia recorded 85 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, its biggest daily outbreak since April 11.

On June 30, more than 10.3 million people around the world had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, more than 5.2 million had recovered, and more than 505,000 had died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the pandemic is "not even close to being over" and while there had been some progress initially, it was "actually speeding up".

On July 3, India reported a single-day record for new COVID-19 cases with more than 20,903 infections, taking the country's toll to 625,000. The total number of deaths surpassed 18,000.

On July 4, Brazil passed 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases, as cities reopened bars, restaurants and gyms sparking fears infections will keep rising.

Spain's Catalonia region placed restrictions on 200,000 people amid surge in new coronavirus cases. And people in England will be allowed to visit pubs, restaurants or get a haircut for the first time in more than three months as restrictions ease.

July 5 marked a rise in coronavirus infections in United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after curfews were fully lifted last month.

WHO said that it was discontinuing its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 after the medications failed to reduce mortality.

June 22 - 28

On June 23, UNESCO said the pandemic has only exacerbated conditions that has left nearly 260 million children excluded from school in 2018, and urged governments to do more to help the most disadvantaged.

Saudi Arabia announced on June 24 that it will limit the number of domestic pilgrims attending the Hajj to around 1,000 after barring Muslims abroad from the rite for the first year in modern times.

On the same day, Germany ordered two new lockdowns for the entire districts of Warendorf and Guetersloh after a coronavirus outbreak at a slaughterhouse infected more than 1,500 workers.

On June 25, the number of coronavirus cases in the Gulf region surpassed 400,000. Meanwhile across the US, hospitalisations and caseloads have reached new highs in more than half a dozen states, with newly confirmed cases nationwide back near their peak level of two months ago.

United States Vice President Mike Pence on June 26 announced that 16 states are seeing an increase in cases of the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic was getting worse globally, with the number of infections expected to reach 10 million next week.

On July 27, the European Union announced plans to bar travellers from the United States, Brazil and Russia due to a continued surge in infections in the three countries.

On July 28, the death toll from the new coronavirus neared 500,000 people, while the number of cases worldwide exceeded 10 million.

June 15 - 21

On June 15, China moved to mass testing in the capital, Beijing, after a spike in cases connected to a major wholesale food market.

A number of European nations, including France, Germany, Greece and Switzerland, reopened their borders to fellow Europeans.

On June 16, in what scientists and the WHO hailed as a "breakthrough", a cheap and widely used steroid dexamethasone became the first drug found to dramatically reduce the risk of dying from COVID-19.

Neighbours India and Pakistan saw the deadliest day of the pandemic on June 17, with more than 2,000 deaths in India and 140 in Pakistan.

On June 18, Indonesia reported 1,331 new coronavirus infections, its biggest daily increase since the outbreak started locally, taking its total number of cases to 42,762.

The World Health Organization announced that testing of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in its large multi-country trial of treatments for COVID-19 patients had been halted after new data and studies showed no benefit.

On June 19 WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the 150,000 new cases recorded on June 18 was the highest number reported in a single day, as the global pandemic accelerated.

Spain on June 21 reopened its borders to most European countries, as well as Britain, as the coronavirus state of emergency ends. Spaniards were also allowed to move freely around the country from Sunday.

Worldwide, at least 8.85 million people were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus, more than 4.3 million have recovered, and more than 465,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

June 8 - 14

On June 8, data from Johns Hopkins University showed that more than seven million people were confirmed to have the coronavirus with at least 406,900 dying from the disease.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Ministry of Health said the country no longer had any active cases of coronavirus.

On June 9, a Harvard Medical School research report suggested that the coronavirus might have been spreading in China as early as August 2019.

On June 10, a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said the pandemic had triggered the worst global recession in nearly a century even without a second wave of infections.

The number of US cases on June 11 surpassed two million, while the death toll exceeded 110,000. Meanwhile, vaccine developer Moderna announced plans to trial its vaccine on 30,000 people in July.

Beijing on June 12 reported its first instance of local transmission in weeks - a 52-year-old man who said he had not left the Chinese capital for more than two weeks and had not been in contact with anyone from outside the city.

June 1 - 7

On June 1, Moscow partially eased a tough lockdown following a fall in novel coronavirus cases for the first time in nine weeks, while the UK was also preparing to relax its lockdown despite concerns among the government's scientific advisory body.

Greece also lifted lockdown restrictions for hotels, open-air cinemas, golf courses and public swimming pools.

On June 2, Africa's coronavirus cases surpassed 150,000 as more than 4,300 deaths were confirmed across the continent.

A South African court ruled that certain coronavirus lockdown regulations were "unconstitutional and invalid" after a community group challenged the validity of the government's response to the pandemic last month.

Italy reopened its borders for travellers from Europe on June 3.

On June 4, Russia's total number of infections across the country surged past the 440,000 mark, with the death toll also continuing to mount.

At least two US senators accused China of hiding data from the World Health Organization that could have altered the course of the coronavirus outbreak, even as a Chinese official denied delays in sharing information, saying the government acted openly and transparently.

On June 5, India recorded another record single-day spike in cases with more than 9,800 infections, taking the country's toll to 226,770. The total number of deaths surpassed 6,000.

Following a public backlash, Turkey cancelled a decision to impose a new, two-day weekend curfew in 15 of the country's hardest-hit provinces and cities.

On June 6, the WHO changed its position on face masks and encouraged people to wear them in crowded places.

Meanwhile, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro threatened to pull his country out of the WHO, accusing the body of being "partisan" and "political".

On June 7, the global death toll from the coronavirus surged past 400,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. About 30 percent of those cases, or two million infections, were in the US.

May 25 - 31

Japan lifted a nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus on May 25, gradually reopening the world's third-largest economy as government officials warned caution was still necessary to prevent another wave.

The world reached a grim milestone on May 26 as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases passed the 5.5 million mark.

On May 27, the United States became the first country to reach a six-figure death toll, as the number of people killed from the coronavirus surpassed 100,000. On the same day, Spain began a 10-day official mourning period in memory of the more than 27,000 people who lost their lives to the virus in the country.

US President Donald Trump announced on May 29 that the US was "terminating" its relationship with the WHO, saying the agency has not made coronavirus reforms.

On May 31, Latin America's death toll surged past the 50,000 mark and cases neared one million, with countries such as Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru struggling to stem the tide.

Meanwhile, in the UK, a third member of a scientific advisory body to the government warned that it was too soon to lift the COVID-19 lockdown because the test and trace system was not yet fully operational.

May 18 - 24

On May 19, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus promised an independent review of the global pandemic response, after countries at a virtual meeting of the World Health Assembly called for a probe.

On the same day in the UK, unemployment claims jumped from 856,000 people to 2.1 million as the pandemic took hold and hit the labour market.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide reached the five million mark on May 21, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The United States, Russia and Brazil stood as the countries with the highest number of infections.

Chinese authorities registered on May 23 zero new infections of coronavirus for the first time since they began reporting data in January. About 80 million infants could be at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, measles and polio due to disruption of routine immunisation caused by the pandemic, UN agencies have warned.

On May 24 Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid al-Fitr with millions under strict stay-at-home orders and many fearing renewed coronavirus outbreaks. Meanwhile, Russia recorded its highest death toll since the pandemic began, with 153 news deaths bringing the total to 3,541 among 344,481 cases.

May 11 - 17

Saudi Arabia said on May 11 it would impose tough austerity measures by tripling its Value Added Tax from 5 percent to 15 percent, in addition to halting monthly handout payments to citizens in order to cope with record low oil prices and a coronavirus-led economic slump.

On May 14, The United Nations predicted the coronavirus pandemic would shrink the world economy by 3.2 percent this year, the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression in the 1930s, pushing an estimated 34.3 million people into extreme poverty, mostly in Africa.

Officials confirmed on May 15 the first coronavirus infection of a Rohingya refugee in the sprawling camps in southern Bangladesh.

On May 16, India's coronavirus cases surpassed China's with the health ministry reporting 85,940 infections and 2,752 deaths. The worst-hit Indian states are Maharashtra with 29,100 cases, Tamil Nadu 10,108, Gujarat 9,931 and New Delhi 8,895. India extended a nearly two-month-old stringent lockdown by another two weeks.

Former US President Barack Obama criticised the country’s leaders on May 17 for their handling of the coronavirus response, telling college graduates in an online commencement address that the pandemic shows many officials "aren't even pretending to be in charge".

May 4 - 10

On May 5, the United Kingdom recorded the highest official COVID-19 death toll in Europe, with more than 30,000 people dead.

In a reversal from earlier statements, US President Donald Trump said on May 7 that the emergency task force handling his administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak will not be wound down , and will instead continue its work "indefinitely".

The WHO warned on May 8, that 83,000 to 190,000 people in Africa could be killed by the coronavirus disease in the first year and infect between 29 million and 44 million during that period if it is not contained.

On May 10, both China and South Korea reported new spikes in coronavirus cases, with Seoul recording 34 new cases - its biggest single-day jump in about a month.

April 27 - May 3

The number of US cases surpassed on April 28 one million, a third of global infections, while the death toll exceeded 57,000.

On April 29, Gilead Sciences' remdesivir proved effective against the new coronavirus in a major study, shortening the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average, according to US government and company officials. The news came as the US economy took its hardest hit since the height of the Great Recession, with its GDP contracting 4.8 percent in the first quarter of the year.

More than 30 million people in the US filed claims on April 30 for jobless benefits since the beginning of coronavirus-related lockdowns. Meanwhile, the eurozone's economy shrunk by 3.8 percent in the first quarter, the biggest hit since records began in 1995.

On May 3, Afghanistan's health ministry raised the alarm over the spread of the new coronavirus after a small study with random tests in Kabul suggested that about a third of the capital's residents could be infected.

April 20 - 26

On April 21, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he "will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!"

Meanwhile, a report by the UN World Food Programme warned that the number of people facing acute food insecurity could double, jumping to 265 million, because of the disruptions caused by the pandemic, including border closures.

The pandemic is expected to drive carbon dioxide emissions down by six percent this year, the head of the World Meteorological Organization said on April 22, in what would be the biggest yearly drop since World War II.

On April 23, the number of US citizens who filed for first-time unemployment benefits in the five weeks since the start of coronavirus-related lockdowns reached a record 26 million.

The confirmed number of coronavirus-related deaths worldwide on April 25 reached another grim milestone by exceeding the 200,000 threshold.

On the same day, the WHO warned against countries issuing so-called "immunity passports" to those who have recovered from COVID-19, saying there was no scientific evidence to prove that these people develop immunity against potential infection in the future.

On April 26, the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global coronavirus pandemic began, said it had no remaining cases of the infection in its hospitals, with all patients treated for COVID-19 discharged.

Saudi Arabia partially lifted the curfew in all regions of the kingdom while keeping a 24-hour curfew in Mecca and previously isolated neighbourhoods.

April 13 - 19

On April 14, both India and France extended a nationwide lockdown, until May 3 and May 11, respectively. On the same day, Taiwan reported no new cases for the first time in more than a month.

Meanwhile, as known infections worldwide surpassed two million on April 15, the International Monetary Fund said the global economy was expected to shrink by three percent this year - the biggest contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

On April 17, Saudi Arabia's grand mufti said prayers during Ramadan and the subsequent Eid al-Fitr festival should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues, according to a Saudi newspaper.

Turkey surpassed Iran for the most infections in the Middle East on April 19, as cases there rose to 86,306.

April 6 - 12

On April 6, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved into intensive care as his condition worsened after being hospitalised in London with persistent COVID-19 symptoms. He was released from intensive care on April 9 and was discharged from hospital on April 12.

On April 7, Japan declared a state of emergency amid a spike in coronavirus cases, while Singapore began a partial lockdown.

On April 8, Wuhan began allowing people to leave for the first time since the central Chinese city was sealed off 76 days ago to contain the coronavirus that first emerged there late last year. In Singapore, the use of Zoom for online education was suspended after hackers hijacked a lesson and showed obscene images to students.

The UK announced its worst single-day death toll on April 10, with a further 980 people who had contracted coronavirus losing their lives in the 24 hours before Thursday evening.

The US recorded on April 11 a total death toll of 20,071, surpassing Italy's toll of 19,468. Cases in the US topped 519,000.

March 30 - April 5

On March 31, the number of deaths due to coronavirus in the US surpassed those reported by China, where the new coronavirus was detected late last year. By the end of the week, the US reported more than 4,000 amid more than 300,000 cases.

On April 1, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the coronavirus pandemic presents the world with its "worst crisis" since World War II as the global total of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached one million and the worldwide death toll topped 50,000.

On April 3, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned governments in the Middle East that they must act quickly to limit the spread of the coronavirus as cases in the region have risen to nearly 60,000 - almost double the tally of a week earlier.

In the United Kingdom, Johnson was taken to a hospital on April 5 after showing persistent symptoms, 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

On the same day, Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, reported a total death toll of 3,603 amid 58,226 cases. However, President Hassan Rouhani said that "low-risk" economic activities would resume from April 11.

March 23 - 29

In the US, the White House and Senate leaders of both parties struck an agreement on March 25 on a sweeping $2 trillion measure to aid workers, businesses and a healthcare system strained by pandemic. By the end of the week, the US accounted for the highest number of coronavirus infections in the world, recording more than 124,000 cases and 2,000 deaths, more than double the figure two days before.

Meanwhile, as the number of cases worldwide surpassed 600,000, with more than 27,000 deaths on March 27, India and South Africa joined the countries to impose lockdowns. Kenya, Kazakhstan and Honduras reported their first deaths, while Johnson announced he had tested positive.

In Europe, Spain recorded 838 new coronavirus deaths over the previous 24 hours on March 29, marking the country's highest daily jump in fatalities. The country was now second only to Italy where the death toll shot past 10,000 with 889 new deaths.

March 16 - 22

On March 18, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared, for the first time ever, a "human biosecurity emergency" in the country. On the other side of the Pacific ocean, Chile and Guatemala shut down their borders hoping strict measures would curb the spread of the virus.

But in rare positive news, no new domestic cases were reported in China for the first time since the start of the outbreak.

On March 20, coronavirus-related deaths surged past 10,000 globally. More cases were reported in Turkey and Pakistan, while Iran registered a total of 14,991 infections and 853 deaths.

On March 21, as Europe remained the epicentre of the pandemic, with Italy reporting 4,825 fatalities amid 53,578 cases, the EU took the unprecedented step to suspend rules on public deficits, giving countries free rein to inject spending into the economy as needed.

On March 22, Palestinian officials in the besieged Gaza Strip announced the first two coronavirus cases.

March 9 - 15

On March 9, Iran released said some 70,000 prisoners had been released because of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, without specifying if or when those freed would need to return to jail.

On March 10, Lebanon and Morocco reported their first deaths from the virus.

In a long-anticipated move, the WHO on March 11 declared on the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, while Turkey, Ivory Coast, Honduras, Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Panama and Mongolia confirmed their first cases. In Qatar, infections jumped drastically from 24 to 262 in a single day.

On March 15, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Austria tightened restrictions in a bid to contain the pandemic.

March 2 - 8

On March 5, Saudi Arabia announced its first coronavirus case.

China's Health Commission reported 99 new cases on March 7, down from 143 cases the day before, with a total of 80,651 cases nationwide. Official data showed the country's exports plunging 17.2 percent in the first two months of the year after the outbreak brought much of the country to a halt.

On Monday 8, Saudi authorities locked down the eastern Qatif region and announced the suspension of all schools and universities across the country until further notice.

In a sweeping move, Italy imposed a strict quarantine in the state of Lombardy and 14 other areas in the north, affecting a total of 16 million people.

February 24 - March 1

This week marked the confirmation of first cases in countries across the world, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Norway, Romania, Greece, Georgia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, North Macedonia, Brazil, Estonia, Denmark, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands, Lithuania and Wales.

On February 25, Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, who, a day earlier, had given a press briefing on the outbreak, confirmed he had coronavirus. The country's official total reached 95 cases with 15 deaths.

As the number of infections passed 82,000 worldwide on February 27, including more than 2,800 deaths, the US was considering invoking the Defense Production Act which would grant President Donald Trump the power to expand industrial production of key materials or products for national security.

February 17 - 23

On February 19, Iran reported two deaths from the coronavirus, hours after confirming its first cases, while South Korea reported on February 20 its first death from the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, China said the death toll had risen to 2,118 while the total number of cases reached 74,576. The country's health commission reported daily infections dropped to the lowest in almost a month, a result of authorities only counting cases confirmed by genetic testing in Hubei.

On February 21, Israel reported its first confirmed case after a woman who returned from a cruise ship tested positive.

In Italy, officials confirmed a third death on February 23, while local authorities brought the Venice Carnival to an early close and suspended sports events.

February 10 - 16

As of February 10, China had 908 confirmed deaths and a total of 40,171 infections, prompting President Xi Jinping to appear in public for the first time since the outbreak began, visiting a hospital in the capital, Beijing, and urging confidence in the battle against the virus.

Five days later, a February 3 speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping, published by state media, indicated the government knew about the threat of the virus well before the public alarm was raised.

On February 11, the WHO announced that the disease caused by new coronavirus would be called "COVID-19". The new coronavirus itself was dubbed SARS-CoV-2.

On February 13, Japan confirmed its first death linked to the virus.

Egypt became the first country in Africa on February 14, to report a case and France reported Europe's first death from the virus. On February 16, Taiwan reported its first death.

February 3 - 9

On February 6, authorities in Malaysia reported the country's first known human-to-human transmission while the number of people infected in Europe reached 30.

On February 7, Li Wenliang, a doctor who was among the first to sound the alarm over the coronavirus in China, died, and Hong Kong introduced prison sentences for anyone breaching quarantine rules.

On February 9, the death toll in China surpassed that of the 2002-03 SARS epidemic, with 811 deaths recorded and 37,198 infections. An investigative team led by experts from the WHO departed for China.

January 27 - February 2

On January 30, the WHO declared the coronavirus a global emergency as the death toll in China jumped to 170, with 7,711 cases reported in the country, where the virus had spread to all 31 provinces. By the end of the week, China reported 304 deaths amid 14,380 infections.

Within a few days, new cases were confirmed in India, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the US, the UAE and Vietnam.

On February 2, the Philippines reported the first death outside China, the victim being a Chinese man from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province where the new coronavirus was detected in late 2019.

January 20 - 26

On January 20, China reported a third death and more than 200 infections, with cases also reported outside Hubei province including in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Meanwhile, a Chinese expert on infectious diseases confirmed human-to-human transmission to state broadcaster CCTV, raising fears of a major outbreak as millions travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday.

The cities of Wuhan, Xiantao and Chibi in Hubei province were placed under effective quarantine on January 23 as air and rail departures were suspended. By the end of the week, more areas were placed under lockdown affecting a total of 56 million people.

The WHO said that the outbreak did not yet constitute a public emergency of international concern and there was "no evidence" of the virus spreading between humans outside of China.

January 13 - 19

The WHO reported on January 13 a case in Thailand, the first outside of China, in a woman who had arrived from Wuhan.

On January 17, as a second death was reported in Wuhan, health authorities in the US announced that three airports would start screening passengers arriving from the city.

Authorities in the US, Nepal, France, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan confirmed cases over the following days.

January 6 - 12

On January 7, officials announced they had identified a new virus, according to the WHO. The novel virus was named 2019-nCoV and was identified as belonging to the coronavirus family, which includes SARS and the common cold.

On January 11, China announced its first death from the virus, a 61-year-old man who had purchased goods from the seafood market. Treatment did not improve his symptoms after he was admitted to hospital and he died of heart failure on the evening of January 9.

December 31 - January 5

On December 31 last year, China alerted the WHO to several cases of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. The virus was unknown.

Several of those infected worked at the city's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which was shut down on January 1. As health experts worked to identify the virus amid growing alarm, the number of infections exceeded 40.

On January 5, Chinese officials ruled out the possibility that this was a recurrence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus - an illness that originated in China and killed more than 770 people worldwide in 2002-2003.