Since 2003 and the Sars crisis (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology have been tracking coronaviruses in animals, particularly bats, capable of carrying them. At the same time, Chinese authorities are building a surveillance system designed to track any suspicious infection. Despite this “health firewall” put in place by China, the surveillance system failed: many doctors ignored reporting protocols, allowing the virus to circulate quietly. Meanwhile, the highly profitable trade in wild animals continues to thrive, even though the risks of transmission are clearly identified. It is the Huanan market in Wuhan that serves as a biological catalyst. The early warning signs from December 2019 are stifled by Wuhan authorities, who reprimand alerting doctors. This initial silence leads to a crucial one-month delay before the official admission of human-to-human transmission.
The global spread of the virus panics the states
International spread is accelerated by the massive New Year migration, making Wuhan an ideal hub for the virus. The pathogen is exported to Asia as early as January 8, 2020, and then to the West with the first cases detected in the United States and France at the end of January. The real turning point comes in Italy on February 20, revealing a massive invisible circulation facilitated by asymptomatic cases.
Faced with alarming projections predicting “a collapse of health systems”, states transition into radical crisis management: by the end of March 2020, nearly 3.26 billion people are confined. This triggers a race for vaccine development, marked by geopolitical tensions and backstabbing among allies for access to supplies.
The rise of the information war
The health crisis is compounded by an “infodemic”, a saturation of contradictory facts and rumors that erodes public trust. The initial uncertainty of experts and journalists leaves a void filled by competing narratives. Information quickly becomes a weapon used by states in destabilization attempts, with social networks playing a major amplifying role, spreading conspiracy theories and unverified information, both about the origins of the pandemic and the existence of scientifically unfounded “miracle cures”.
Five years later, the official death toll exceeds 7 million, and it is necessary to examine how this story unfolded to understand this global conflagration.
– William Audureau, “World History of Covid”, Allary editions, March 2026.
