It’s been one year since the first case of COVID was documented in the US. To understand how we got here, COURIER has compiled a list of vital dates over the past 12 months.
Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the first coronavirus patient in the United States, a man in Washington state. Since then, the virus has infected more than 24 million people and killed 406,000.
To understand how we got here, COURIER has compiled a list of vital dates over the past 12 months.
Jan. 21, 2020
The United States announces its first confirmed coronavirus case, a man in Washington state. A week later, another man in his 50s from the state becomes the first US casualty.
Jan. 30, 2020
The World Health Organization declares the outbreak a global public health emergency. More than 9,000 cases are reported worldwide.
Jan. 31, 2020
WHO issues a Global Health Emergency. The US declares a public health emergency three days later.
Feb. 2 , 2020
The US and other governments place restrictions on international air travel, requiring travelers to undergo health screenings and denying entrance to some foreign nationals coming from certain parts of China.
Feb. 24, 2020
The US stock market goes in freefall over coronavirus fears, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average experiences its worst day in two years.
March 6, 2020
President Trump signs an $8.3 billion emergency spending package to combat the coronavirus outbreak, as the number of global cases hit 100,000.
March 8, 2020
Confirmed cases in the US top 500.
March 11, 2020
The World Health Organization officially declares the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, voices worries about “the alarming levels of inaction” from world governments at a briefing in Geneva.
March 11, 2020
The NBA suspends all basketball games after a player for the Utah Jazz preliminarily tests positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The next day, the MLB cancels spring training and the NHL announces it will suspend the start of its season.
March 11, 2020
President Donald Trump rolls out a new restriction on foreign travelers from 26 countries in Europe, with exceptions for Ireland and the United Kingdom.
March 12, 2020
The Dow Jones plunged 2,352 points, or 10%—the steepest drop since Oct. 19, 1987.
March 13, 2020
Trump declares a national state of emergency in order to free up $50 billion to fight the pandemic.
March 13, 2020
States across the US, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, announce plans to close schools to curb the spread of coronavirus. Within the week, 29 more states also announce closures.
March 15, 2020
The number of confirmed cases in the US surpasses 3,000, with epicenters in New York, California, and Washington state. The national death toll jumps to 61.
March 15, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases guidelines recommending in-person events of 50 people or more be canceled or postponed.
March 16, 2020
San Francisco is the first city in the US to introduce strict restrictions, such as curfews and prohibiting residents from leaving their homes except for essential needs.
March 16, 2020
The White House’s coronavirus task force advises Americans to avoid gatherings of 10 or more people, to avoid going to bars and restaurants and to halt unessential travel.
March 16, 2020
US researchers administer the first shot in a test of an experimental coronavirus vaccine. Due to necessary trial phases, a vaccine will not be widely available for eight more months.
March 18, 2020
President Trump signs Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law. The aid bill provides free coronavirus testing and ensures paid emergency leave for those infected or caring for a family member with the illness, while also supplementing existing Medicaid funding, food assistance, and unemployment benefits.
March 19, 2020
California issues a statewide stay-at-home order for the state’s 40 million residents. The next day coronavirus cases in the state exceed 1,000, having doubled in only three days. Other states follow with their own stay-home orders, including New Jersey, Ohio, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Washington, West Virginia, Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, Idaho, and Minnesota.
March 20, 2020
The Dow Jones Industrial Average sinks by 916 points and the S&P 500 closes the day down 4.3%, its worst weekly performance since the 2008 financial crisis.
March 21, 2020
New York is officially the hardest-hit state in the US, with more than 10,000 coronavirus cases.
March 22, 2020
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky becomes the first senator to test positive for coronavirus.
March 26, 2020
The House and Senate pass the CARES Act, which President Trump signed into law the following day. The $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill provides aid to hospitals, small businesses, and state and local governments.
March 27, 2020
Coronavirus cases in the US surpass 100,000, the most in the world. More than 1,500 deaths are reported nationwide.
April 2, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor releases a report showing a record 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits the previous week.
April 3, 2020
The White House and the CDC recommend Americans wear cloth face coverings in public to prevent the spread of the virus. The president does not comply publicly for months.
April 7, 2020
Approximately 95% of all Americans are living under lockdown, as 42 states issue stay-at-home orders.
April 10, 2020
The global death toll passes 100,000.
May 27, 2020
US COVID-19 deaths pass the 100,000 mark.
July 7, 2020
The same day that the US reports 3 million COVID-19 infections, the nation begins withdrawing from WHO, as the White House cites the organization’s response to the global pandemic.
July 15, 2020
Hospitals are told to bypass the CDC and submit COVID-related information to a central database run by the Department of Health and Human Services, heightening concerns that the president and White House administration are politicizing the science in attempts to minimize bad press.
Aug. 4, 2020
Rural and low-income hotspots struggle with dearth of intensive care unit beds. Almost five months after the pandemic was declared a national emergency, 49% of low-income areas have no free ICU beds.
Aug. 17, 2020
COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death in the US, behind heart disease and cancer.
Sept. 1, 2020
US refuses to participate in an international WHO initiative to develop, make, and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.
Sept. 16, 2020
The Trump administration releases a distribution plan for January 2021 that should provide free vaccinations to all Americans.
Sept. 22, 2020
US deaths from COVID-19 pass 200,000.
Sept. 23, 2020
A new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 is discovered in a large portion of recent patient samples during a study at Houston Methodist Hospital.
Sept. 28, 2020
Global COVID-19 deaths surpass 1 million.
Oct. 2, 2020
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump test positive for COVID-19. Trump is hospitalized but discharged from Walter Reed Memorial within days after receiving an elite drug cocktail unavailable to most Americans.
Oct. 8, 2020
A White House Rose Garden ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the epicenter of a COVID-19 outbreak that affects at least 34 people, including several staff members.
Nov. 4, 2020
US reports a dismal high of 100,000 new cases in one day.
Nov. 20, 2020
CDC warns Americans against traveling or attending traditional gatherings for the Thanksgiving holidays, warning another surge in infections during flu season could be deadlier than the previous wave. Millions travel anyway.
Dec. 11, 2020
FDA greenlights an emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and, a week later, Moderna.
Dec. 14, 2020
The COVID death toll reaches 300,000.
Dec. 31, 2020
US falls short of Trump’s goal to deliver 20 million vaccinations by the end of the year. According to the CDC, only about 2.8 million people received an initial vaccination by this date.
Jan. 19, 2021
US COVID death toll crosses a once unthinkable milestone: 400,000.
READ MORE: A List of All the Ways the Trump Administration Failed Its COVID-19 Response
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