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5 graphs that show how the world suddenly changed when covid-19 hit

From carbon emissions to the share price of videoconferencing firm Zoom, these graphs tell the story of how the covid-19 pandemic changed everything

6 January 2025

Graphs and data were vital to understanding the spread of the coronavirus

Daniel Leal-Olivas – WPA Pool/Getty Images

As the covid-19 pandemic took hold, the world was transfixed and transformed while we came to terms with just how vulnerable society is to a deadly virus. These five graphs highlight just some of these changes, and show how close things are to returning to “normal”.

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