Since first being recorded late last year in China, the Covid-19 coronavirus has spread around the world, and been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. By early spring, Europe had become the worst-affected region, with Italy and Spain particularly hard hit. However, differences in testing mean that the number of cases may be understated for some countries. The number of deaths is a more dependable indicator. The disease is hitting Italy and Spain with particular cruelty. But the trajectory in many countries is the same; the UK and US are a couple of weeks behind Italy in the progress of the epidemic. Meanwhile in Asia, where the disease began, the spread continues, although in China it seems for now to have passed its peak. Due to the unprecedented and ongoing nature of the coronavirus outbreak, this article is being regularly updated to ensure that it reflects the current situation at the date of publication. Any significant corrections made to this or previous versions of the article will continue to be footnoted in line with Guardian editorial policy.