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The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic 100 days ago. In a little over 3 months, the virus has left devastation in its wake and doesn't show signs of stopping yet.

The World Health Organization declared the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11 100 days ago.

A man, who visited Beijing recently, is tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu province on June 15, 2020. - China's capital city raced on June 15 to control a fresh coronavirus outbreak, with 75 cases linked to a single wholesale food market in Beijing where authorities have locked down neighbourhoods and launched a massive test and trace programme. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
  • As of Friday evening, the coronavirus has infected more than 8.6 million people, and the death toll surpassed 458,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
  • The coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, has devastated populations, as medical professionals, government officials, and scientists and researchers alike rush to understand it.
  • Here's how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped life as we knew it in a matter of 100 days.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
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The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic 100 days ago on March 11. In a little more than three months, the coronavirus has infected more than 8.6 million people, and the death toll surpassed 458,000.

The coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, spread to nearly every continent, as doctors and nurses treat hundreds of patients per shift. Government officials scrambled to not only support their constituents, but also to implement ways to stem the rapidly spreading virus.

Parts of the world plunged into unprecedented lockdowns, shuttering businesses and keeping people physically distant from one another, leading to economic decline.

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In the last few weeks, some restrictions have been lifted in a bid to restore normalcy in a pandemic-ridden world. But in light of reopening efforts, experts are concerned that the world could once again face the dark reality it faced at the early beginnings of the pandemic.

In a matter of 100 days, the coronavirus has devastated populations around the world, and there doesn't yet seem to be an end in sight as scientists rush to develop a vaccine.

Here's how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped life as we knew it:

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FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

The WHO was first aware of the novel coronavirus that was sweeping across regions of China in early January and declared it an emergency at the end of January.

According to a timeline from WHO, by March 11 the organization was "Deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction," which led it to declare COVID-19 a pandemic.

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Associated Press

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China was the original epicenter of the novel coronavirus, and parts of the country were under lockdown for more than 70 days.

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While some cities and states had implemented some form of restrictions to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, California became the first state to implement a statewide "stay-at-home" order.

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

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While the first case in the US may date back to December 2019, and cases were first reported in Washington state, by March New York state was the epicenter in the US.

Brendan McDermid/Reuters

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China, followed by Italy were the two countries initially hit hardest by the novel coronavirus.

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Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP

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Source: Twitter

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Matt Waliszek of Orzel Photography/Reuters

Other states began lifting their orders in the weeks and months after. By Friday, June 19, all 50 states were in some stage of reopening.

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Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

Source: BBC

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JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

Rick Wilking/Reuters

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MICHAEL DANTAS/AFP via Getty Images

As of Friday, June 19, the country had over 1 million cases and over 48,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

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NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images

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