A Timeline of the Coronavirus (NY Times)

THE CORONAVIRUS SURFACED in a Chinese seafood and poultry market in late 2019. Here’s [the origin] of the outbreak. [I have added a few of Trump’s lies, exaggerations, and misinformation to the American public on this timeline as well]:

DEC. 31, 2019

Chinese authorities treated dozens of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause. On Dec. 31, the government in Wuhan, China, confirmed that health authorities were treating dozens of cases. Days later, researchers in China identified a new virus that had infected dozens of people in Asia. At the time, there was no evidence that the virus was readily spread by humans. Health officials in China said they were monitoring it to prevent the outbreak from developing into something more severe.

JAN. 11, 2020

China reported its first death. On Jan. 11, Chinese state media reported the first known death from an illness caused by the virus, which had infected dozens of people. The 61-year-old man who died was a regular customer at the market in Wuhan, where the illness is believed to have originated, and he had previously been found to have abdominal tumors and chronic liver disease. The report of his death came just before one of China’s biggest holidays, when hundreds of millions of people travel across the country.

JAN. 20, 2020

Other countries, including the United States, confirmed cases. The first confirmed cases outside mainland China occurred in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, according to the World Health Organization’s first situation report. The first confirmed case in the United States came the next day in Washington State, where a man in his 30s developed symptoms after returning from a trip to Wuhan.

Jan. 22, 2020

[“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China” -Trump].

JAN. 23, 2020

Wuhan, a city of more than 11 million, was cut off by Chinese authorities. The Chinese authorities closed off Wuhan by canceling planes and trains leaving the city, and suspending buses, subways and ferries within it. At this point, at least 17 people had died and more than 570 others had been infected, including in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the United States.

JAN. 30, 2020

The W.H.O. declared a global health emergency. Amid thousands of new cases in China, a “public health emergency of international concern” was officially declared by the W.H.O. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that it would continue to work with the W.H.O. and other countries to protect public health, and the U.S. State Department warned travelers to avoid China.

JAN. 31, 2020

The Trump administration [finally] restricted travel from China. The Trump administration said it would suspend entry into the United States by any foreign nationals who had traveled to China in the past 14 days, excluding the immediate family members of American citizens or permanent residents. By this date, 213 people had died and nearly 9,800 had been infected worldwide.

FEB. 2, 2020

The first coronavirus death was reported outside China. A 44-year-old man in the Philippines died after being infected, officials said. By this point, more than 360 people had died.

Feb. 2, 2020

[“We pretty much shut it down coming in from China. It’s going to be fine” -Trump].

FEB. 5, 2020

A cruise ship in Japan quarantined thousands. After a two-week trip to Southeast Asia, more than 3,600 passengers began a quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan. Officials started screening passengers, and the number of people who tested positive became the largest number of coronavirus cases outside China. By Feb. 13, the number stood at 218.

FEB. 7, 2020

A Chinese doctor who tried to raise the alarm died. When Dr. Li Wenliang, a Chinese doctor, died on Feb. 7 after contracting the coronavirus, he was hailed as a hero by many for trying to ring early alarms that a cluster of infections could spin out of control. In early January, the authorities reprimanded him, and he was forced to sign a statement denouncing his warning as an unfounded and illegal rumor. Dr. Li’s death provoked anger and frustration at how the Chinese government mishandled the situation by not sharing information earlier and silencing whistle-blowers.

FEB. 10, 2020

The death toll in China surpassed the number SARS killed worldwide. The death toll in China rose to 908, surpassing the global number of people who died from the SARS epidemic in 2002-3, which killed 774. At this point, the number of confirmed cases of infection in the country had risen to 40,171.

FEB. 13, 2020

There were more than 14,000 new cases in Hubei Province. Officials added more than 14,840 new cases to the total number of infected in Hubei Province, and the ruling Communist Party ousted top officials there. The new cases set a daily record, coming after officials in Hubei seemed to be including infections that were diagnosed by using lung scans of symptomatic patients.

FEB. 14, 2020

France announces the first coronavirus death in Europe. An 80-year-old Chinese tourist died on Feb. 14 at a hospital in Paris, in what was the first coronavirus death outside Asia, the authorities said. The health minister of France, Agnès Buzyn, said the man, who was from Hubei Province, the center of the outbreak, had arrived in France in mid-January and “his condition had quickly worsened.” It was the fourth death from the virus outside mainland China, where about 1,500 people had died, most of them in Hubei.

Feb. 14, 2020

[“Sixty-one percent of the voters approve of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus. And you know, we did a very early move on that. We did a, I was criticized by a lot of people at the beginning because we were the first. We’d never done it before” -Trump].

FEB. 17, 2020

Chinese officials draft legislation to curb the practice of eating wildlife. China said it was reviewing its trade and consumption of wildlife, which has been identified as a probable source of the outbreak. Officials drafted legislation that aims to end “the pernicious habit of eating wildlife,” a statement from the Standing Committee of the Congress said.

FEB. 19, 2020

Hundreds leave the quarantined cruise ship. After a two-week quarantine, 443 passengers began leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship. It was the first day of a three-day operation to offload people who tested negative for the virus and did not have symptoms. Passengers who shared cabins with infected patients remained on the ship. A total of 621 people aboard the ship were infected.

FEB. 21, 2020

A secretive church is linked to an outbreak in South Korea. Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive church in South Korea was linked to a surge of infections in the country. The number of confirmed cases in the country rose above 200, and more than 400 other church members reported potential symptoms, health officials said. As a result, the government shut down thousands of kindergartens, nursing homes and community centers, and put a stop to political rallies in the capital, Seoul.

FEB. 21, 2020

The virus appears in Iran from an unknown source. On Feb. 19, Iran announced two coronavirus cases in the country, then hours later said that both patients had died. Two days later, Iran announced two additional deaths. The source of the virus in Iran is unknown. By Feb. 20, the number of global cases had risen to nearly 76,000, according to the W.H.O.

FEB. 23, 2020

Italy sees major surge in coronavirus cases and officials lock down towns. Europe faced its first major outbreak as the number of reported cases in Italy grew from fewer than five to more than 150. In the Lombardy region, officials locked down 10 towns after a cluster of cases suddenly emerged in Codogno, southeast of Milan. As a result, schools closed and sporting and cultural events were canceled.

FEB. 24, 2020

The Trump administration asks Congress for $1.25 billion for coronavirus response. As the number of coronavirus cases around the globe continued to climb, the Trump administration began preparing for the virus to arrive in the United States. The White House asked Congress to allocate $1.25 billion in new emergency funds to bolster its preparedness — a significant escalation in the administration’s response. At this point the United States, where Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials warned of an almost certain outbreak, had 35 confirmed cases and no deaths.

Feb. 24, 2020

[“The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA… Stock Market is starting to look very good to me!” -Trump].

FEB. 24, 2020

Iran emerges as a second focus point of the virus. Iran said it had 61 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths, more than any other country but China, and public health experts warned that Iran was a cause for worry — its borders are crossed each year by millions of religious pilgrims, migrant workers and others. Cases in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and one in Canada, have been traced back to Iran.

Feb. 25, 2020

[“…My administration is doing a great job of handling the coronavirus… I think that’s a problem that’s going to go away. [The CDC and my administration] have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine” -Trump].

FEB. 26, 2020

Latin America reports its first coronavirus case. Brazilian health officials said that a 61-year-old São Paulo man, who had returned recently from a business trip to Italy, tested positive for the coronavirus. It was the first known case in Latin America. Officials also began tracking down other passengers on the flight the man took to Brazil and others who had contact with him in recent days.

Feb. 26, 2020

[“The 15 cases within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero… We’re going very substantially down, not up” -Trump].

Feb. 27, 2020

[“One day it’s like a miracle; it will disappear” -Trump].

FEB. 28, 2020

The number of infections in Europe spike. Italy, where 800 people had been infected by Feb. 28, remained an area of concern. Cases in 14 other countries, including Northern Ireland and Wales, could be traced back to Italy. Germany had nearly 60 cases by Feb. 27, and France reported 57, more than triple the number from two days earlier. Both England and Switzerland reported additional cases, while Belarus, Estonia and Lithuania all reported their first infections.

FEB. 28, 2020

Sub-Saharan Africa records its first infection. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, confirmed its first case of coronavirus on Feb. 28. The patient was an Italian citizen who had returned to Lagos from Milan.

Feb. 28, 2020

[“We’re ordering a lot of supplies. We’re ordering a lot of, uh, elements that frankly we wouldn’t be ordering unless it was something like this. But we’re ordering a lot of different elements of medical” -Trump].

FEB. 29, 2020

The United States records its first coronavirus death and announces travel restrictions. A patient near Seattle became the first coronavirus patient to die in the United States on Feb. 28. As the number of global cases rose to nearly 87,000, the Trump administration issued its highest-level warning, known as a “do not travel” warning, for areas in Italy and South Korea most affected by the virus. The government also banned all travel to Iran and barred entry to any foreign citizen who had visited Iran in the previous 14 days.

March 2, 2020

[“The United States is right now ranked by far number one in the world for preparedness” -Trump].

MARCH 3, 2020

U.S. officials approve widespread coronavirus testing. The C.D.C. lifted all federal restrictions on testing for the coronavirus on March 3, according to Vice President Mike Pence. The news came after the C.D.C.’s first attempt to produce a diagnostic test kit fell flat. By this point, the coronavirus had infected more than 90,000 around the globe and killed about 3,000, according to the W.H.O.

March 3, 2020

[“There’s only one hot spot, and that’s also pretty much in a very, in a home, as you know, in a nursing home” -Trump].

March 6, 2020

[“Anybody who wants a test can get a test. That’s what the bottom line is… And in terms of deaths, I don’t know what the count is today. Is it 11? Eleven people? And in terms of cases, it’s very, very few” -Trump].

MARCH 11, 2020

President Trump blocks most visitors from Continental Europe. In a prime-time address from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said he would halt travelers from European countries other than Britain for 30 days, as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic and stock markets plunged further.

MARCH 13, 2020

President Trump declares a national emergency. Mr. Trump officially declared a national emergency, and said he was making $50 billion in federal funds available to states and territories to combat the coronavirus. He also said he would give hospitals and doctors more flexibility to respond to the virus, including making it easier to treat people remotely.

["I don't take responsibility at all!" -Trump].

March 15, 2020

[“This is a very contagious, this is a very contagious virus. It’s incredible. But it’s something that we have tremendous control of” -Trump].

March 17, 2020

[“I’ve always known this is a real, this is a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic” -Trump].

March 19, 2020

["We're not a shipping clerk" -Trump, referring to the federal government's role in sending out essential medical supplies to the states].

March 20, 2020

[Trump’s answer to reporter Peter Alexander’s question, “What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?”: “I say that you’re a terrible reporter, that’s what I say… I think that’s a very nasty question, and I think it’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the American people. The American people are looking for answers and they’re looking for hope and you’re doing sensationalism and the same with NBC and Concast. I don’t call it Comcast, I call it Concast! That’s really bad reporting, you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism. Let’s see if it works. It might and it might not. I happen to feel good about it, but who knows? I’ve been right a lot…” -Trump].

NY Times