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On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a "2019 novel coronavirus" had been identified, originating in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. It noted that "most cases [of people contracting the virus at the time] worked at or were handlers and frequent visitors to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market" and that: "The [Chinese] Government reports that there is no clear evidence that the virus passes easily from person to person."

The exact origin of Covid-19 remains unknown but heavily speculated upon. Some reports have suggested the virus may have been circulating globally in the latter quarter of 2019. In the absence of conclusive evidence, it is generally accepted that the first cases of the virus were detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. From there, it spread first through Asia—most notably Iran—before finding a centre in Europe, initially in Italy and Spain.

By the end of January 2020, the WHO had acknowledged significant evidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China and declared a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern". On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic.

The first death from Covid-19 in the UK was, at the time, believed to have been on 5 March 2020, although it is now generally accepted that several deaths in February and January 2020 are plausibly earlier instances. The Government moved the UK into 'lockdown': a period of restrictions from March 2020 which limited social and professional interactions in a bid to contain the virus. Concurrently, the Government heavily pushed for the development of a vaccine—for many, seen as the best way to combat the pandemic. At this point, the worldwide figures stood at 270,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. By 2 April 2020, there were 1m cases of Covid-19 worldwide and, within a fortnight, that figure had doubled.

On 8 December 2020, the UK became the first country in the world to begin the process of vaccinating its citizens with a fully clinically approved vaccine. Despite this, at the time of drafting, cases of coronavirus remained carefully monitored in the UK, and international travel remained restricted. At this time, over 6m global deaths have been officially reported, although studies based on excess mortality indicate the true figure could be double that. As of 25 March 2022, 186,094 deaths had been recorded in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The broader consequences of the pandemic—from home-working, to medical development, to international co-operation—have had an impact on the substance and methodology of the work of the UK Intelligence Community. Additionally, the pandemic has awoken in the popular consciousness the nature of the UK’s relationship with China.