Today, many people struggle to comprehend the new world we reside in. Ever since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, scientists have been publishing research and taking precautions in an attempt to prevent an event of this magnitude again. However, in 2020, a new threat has emerged, endangering the lives of citizens all around the world. The coronavirus, which surfaced late last year in China, has spread to at least 170 countries, infecting approximately one million people and killing tens of thousands. The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus a pandemic.
Below is a timeline of the outbreak so far:
November 17th, 2019- A 55-year-old individual residing in the Hubei Process is believed to have been the first person to contract coronavirus. This report was confirmed on March 13th, 2020 but was not recognized at the time
December 1st, 2019- The first known patient becomes ill and begins to show symptoms of Coronavirus.
December 29th, 2019- A hospital in Wuhan admits 4 patients who contracted a form of pneumonia. These patients all had ties to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, initially considered to be the source of the coronavirus. The hospital staff reported this phenomenon to the Wuhan CCDC, and afterward, a field investigation commenced
December 30th, 2019- A genetic sequencing report of the pathogen presented the (inaccurate) discovery of the SARS coronavirus. Multiple doctors, the most prominent being Li Wenliang, shared this information via the internet. Later in the day, the Wuhan Municipal Health Committee reported 27 suspected cases of pneumonia since the beginning of December.
December 31st, 2019- Chinese authorities contacted the World Health Organization (WHO), informing them of the unexplained cases of pneumonia in Wuhan. Health officials in China began monitoring the situation in order to prevent a more severe outbreak.
January 1st, 2020- Chinese health authorities close down the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, as it was believed that the wild animals may have caused the virus.
January 5th, 2020- Chinese health authorities announce that the unknown pneumonia is not a return of the SARS virus, which originated in China in 2002–2003.
January 7th, 2020- Chinese officials and WHO announce the identity of a novel coronavirus- 2019nCOV.
January 11th, 2020- Chinese media report the first death caused by the coronavirus: a 61- year- old man who frequently shopped at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. The treatment proved to be ineffective as he passed away on January 9th, 2020. The man was previously found to have other ailments such as chronic liver disease.
January 13th, 2020- WHO reports the first case of Coronavirus in Thailand: a woman who arrived from Wuhan.
January 16th, 2020- Japanese authorities report the first case of Coronavirus: a native who recently arrived from Wuhan.
January 17th, 2020- Chinese officials confirm a second death in Wuhan. US officials respond to this crisis by instituting stricter screening protocols for the virus in several airports.
January 20th, 2020- A third death is confirmed in Wuhan, and more than 200 infections are reported throughout China. Asian countries start to implement stricter measures and screenings in all people coming from high-risk areas of China.
January 23rd, 2020- Wuhan is placed under quarantine. Transportation in and out of the city is canceled. Two more cities in the Hubei Province: Xiantao and Chibi would also be placed under quarantine.
January 30th, 2020- WHO declares the coronavirus a global emergency as the death rate increases. In addition, the United States confirms its first case of the virus in Washington state.
January 31st, 2020- The Trump administration suspends entry into the United States by anyone that has traveled to China in the past two weeks.
February 2nd, 2020- The first death outside of China is reported in the Philippines. Meanwhile, the number of fatalities in China increased to 304 deaths with more than 15,000 infected.
February 4th, 2020- After a trip to Southeast Asia, all of the passengers were quarantined on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship in Japan. Japanese health officials began screening and found 220 positive cases, the largest number of cases outside of China.
February 7th, 2020- Li Wenliang dies of coronavirus. Li was the Wuhan doctor who made the public aware of the initial coronavirus. Li’s death would lead to increased protests. regarding the Chinese government’s lack of transparency.
February 11th, 2020- WHO proposes a new name for the novel coronavirus: COVID-19, an acronym standing for coronavirus 2019.
February 14th, 2020- A Chinese male dies of COVID 19 in France, marking the first death in Europe. In addition, Egypt announces a case of coronavirus, marking the first case in Africa.
February 19th, 2020- After a two-week quarantine, the passengers that tested negative and showed no symptoms were released from the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship. A total of 621 passengers on board tested positive for the coronavirus.
February 21st, 2020- The number of cases in South Korea rose above 200 cases. Many of these cases could be linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The surge in cases caused a shutdown of many public facilities in the country. In addition, two deaths were confirmed in Iran.
February 25th, 2020- The National Institute of Health announces the beginning of a clinical trial at the University of Nebraska regarding the effectiveness of an antiviral drug. The first test subject was an American who was evacuated from the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship.
February 26th, 2020- President Donald Trump places VP Mike Pence in charge of US response to the COVID-19.
February 29th, 2020- The United States records its first COVID-19 death in a Washington state resident. Soon after, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency, allocating more resources to deal with the emergency.
March 3rd, 2020- According to VP Mike Pence, The CDC removed federal restrictions that limited coronavirus testing to people in a general hospital. Now, anyone can be tested worldwide.
March 8th-9th, 2020- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte places travel restrictions on several provinces in Italy. In addition, Italy places all 60 million people under lockdown.
March 11th, 2020- President Trump announces a travel restriction on people from Europe for 30 days. The ban only applies to European natives and not American citizens returning home from travels.
March 13th, 2020- President Trump declares a national emergency over COVID-19 in an attempt to free up money in the federal reserves to be used to combat the pandemic.
March 19th, 2020- China reports no new infected cases for the first time, a positive sign in the fight against this pandemic. This occurrence signaled the decreasing influence of the coronavirus in China and potentially an end to it. However, it would take two weeks without new infections for the outbreak to be considered over.
March 23rd, 2020- The United Nations calls for a ceasefire amid the pandemic. In addition, Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls for a lockdown of Britain, closing all nonessential shops and eateries.
March 24th, 2020- Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces that the 2020 Summer Olympics will be postponed to 2021.
March 26th, 2020- The number of cases in the United States rises to over 82,000, surpassing the cases in China and Italy. The United States currently has the most coronavirus cases in the world.
References
Coronavirus Outbreak Timeline Fast Facts. (2020, March 26). Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/06/health/wuhan-coronavirus-timeline-fast-facts/index.html
Holly Secon, A. W. (2020, March 27). A comprehensive timeline of the new coronavirus pandemic, from China’s first COVID-19 case to the present. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-pandemic-timeline-history-major-events-2020-3
Taylor, D. B. (2020, February 13). A Timeline of the Coronavirus. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html
