It started as a seemingly perplexing case of pneumonia.
From a wet market in Wuhan, China, Covid-19 has spread to nearly every country on the globe in just under nine months. It’s overturned daily lives, shuttered businesses and schools, and disrupted the world economy. It’s infected more than 33 million people worldwide and has killed at least 1 million people — a toll that’s likely to be far more than the official tallies show, global health officials say.
The coronavirus has laid bare public health shortcomings in even the most advanced countries on the planet that, up until 2020, hadn’t witnessed a pandemic for more than 100 years. In the U.S., Covid-19 has tested hospital systems and their capacity to treat severely ill patients and has pushed drug companies to try to develop vaccines and therapeutics in record time.
The World Health Organization has warned, however, that the coronavirus pandemic is not over. According to a WHO situation report on Monday, there were nearly 2 million new Covid-19 cases reported the week ended Sept. 20, the highest number of reported cases in a week since the epidemic began. The Americas continue to report the bulk of new cases, representing half of all reported coronavirus infections across the globe so far.
“It has not burned out, it is not burning out, it is not going away,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said of the coronavirus during a press briefing on Sept. 18.
This is the insidious path the coronavirus took to kill at least 1 million people. The number of reported deaths below come from WHO situation reports and data compiled by Johns Hopkins University released on the corresponding day.
Dec. 31: Pneumonia-like illness identified in China
Chinese health officials announced on Dec. 31 that they were investigating more than 20 cases of a viral pneumonia, rumored to be severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, according to a Reuters report. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said an investigation and cleanup were underway at a local seafood market, which was suspected of being connected to the illness, the report said. The WHO requested information on the reported cluster from Chinese authorities the next day.
A man wears a mask while walking in the street on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.
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Jan. 11: Wuhan reports first death
Chinese health authorities in Wuhan reported the first death linked to the pneumonia illness likely caused by a new, unknown virus, STAT News reported. The 61-year-old man died after being admitted to the hospital with respiratory failure and severe pneumonia, the report said, citing the Wuhan Municipal Health Committee, which had identified at least 41 cases of the illness.
Jan. 21: U.S. reports first case
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Jan. 21 the first travel-related cases of the novel coronavirus in Washington state. In its report, the CDC said there were “growing indications” that the virus could be spreading from human-to-human contact compared with original reports of animal-to-human spread.
In a situation report from the day prior, the WHO found cases in Thailand, Japan and South Korea, the first handful of cases reported outside China.
Jan. 30: WHO declares coronavirus a public health emergency
After infecting more than 8,200 people around the world, mostly in mainland China, with thousands more suspected cases awaiting test results, the WHO declared the coronavirus a public health emergency, which is defined as an “extraordinary event” that is “serious, unusual or unexpected.” The designation came only hours after the CDC confirmed the first person-to-person transmission in the U.S.
Airline passengers wearing face masks walk out of the international terminal at the San Francisco International Airport in Millbrae, California, United States on January 31, 2020.
Yichuan Cao | NurPhoto | Getty Images
Jan. 31: Trump bars China…
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