COVID-19 is a viral infection that can make people very sick. It is a disease that affects your lungs, airways and other organs.
In most people, COVID-19 may be quite mild, like the common cold, but in some, both young and old, it can be very serious and lead to hospitalisation or even death.
The virus was first recognised in China and likely originated in animals. It is still unclear how the virus came to infect humans. The disease spread to other countries, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a pandemic on 11 March 2020.
Here in New Zealand we have all worked hard to stop COVID-19. COVID-19 is still a very big problem in many countries around the world and is rising again in most countries.
