European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
An agency of the European Union
COVID-19 is a disease under surveillance in the EU and must be reported by all Member States.
Well-designed, representative sentinel surveillance systems in primary and secondary care remain the core surveillance method for acute viral respiratory infections.
COVID-19 disease is caused by a virus of the coronavirus family, SARS-CoV-2, in the order of nidovirales.
Symptoms may vary, both in frequency and severity, depending on the SARS-CoV-2 variant causing the disease episode.
On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this outbreak of novel coronavirus a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.
A person can become infected through the inhalation of respiratory droplets from an infected individual or through direct contact with infected droplets through the eyes, mouth, or nose.
Most SARS-CoV-2 infections do not require hospitalisation or medical treatment and can be managed at home or in outpatient settings.
Public health authorities can take several measures to mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19 at individual and community or population level.
Infection prevention and control measures aim at mitigating the spread of pathogens in healthcare settings.