An outbreak is the occurrence of cases beyond what is normally expected, usually within a restricted geographic location.

The first recorded outbreaks of COVID-19 were in 2019 in China with subsequent global.

Infection with COVID-19 is associated with a high transmission rate. The large number of deaths is a significant concern for public health.

COVID-19 disease is caused by a virus that belongs to a family of Coronaviruses, with many species and variants. The species is responsible for the most outbreaks. 

SARS-CoV-2 is a zoonosis, initially transmitted from animals to humans and then from person to person. The natural reservoir host for SARS-CoV-2 is thought to be bats.

Epidemiological investigations are carried out during outbreaks to determine the cause of the outbreak and put Infection Prevention and Control measures to prevent the disease spread and resulting deaths.  

Data gathered may be used to describe the outbreak in terms of person, place, and time. Graphs and maps may be used for this purpose, including an epidemic curve.