Coronavirus

Coronavirus (Covid-19) is an infectious disease that caused havoc when it became a global pandemic on March 11, 2020

Experts say most people infected with coronavirus will experience mild to moderate symptoms including respiratory illness and recover without special treatment. However, some will become seriously ill and require medical attention.

On January 29, 2020, the UK's first two patients tested positive for Coronavirus after two Chinese nationals from the same family staying at a hotel in York fell ill.

What followed was a year of chaos, fear and lockdowns. There were 69,299 deaths in England that were linked to Covid in 2020.

The UK had a higher rate of excess deaths among people aged under 65 in 2020 than almost every other country in Europe, according to the Office for National Statistics.

A British government led by Boris Johnson with Matt Hancock as Health Secretary came under-fire for several blunders which were exposed in the Covid inquiry in 2022.