COVID-19 was the disease linked to the global stock-market crash that began in February 2020.
As the novel coronavirus spread internationally, governments introduced travel restrictions, business closures, and other measures that disrupted economic activity. Investors rapidly reassessed corporate earnings, supply chains, employment, and energy demand.
Major indexes entered a bear market in March 2020. The S&P 500 reached a low on March 23 after a record-fast decline from its February high. Extraordinary monetary and fiscal support, along with expectations for vaccines and economic reopening, helped markets recover later in the year.
The market crash was connected to the pandemic but also included a separate oil-price shock in March, when disagreements among oil-producing countries contributed to a sharp fall in crude prices. COVID-19 is the disease name; SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus that causes it.