The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States during 2020. [1]
By late November 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 had broken out in Wuhan, China. [2]
As reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases on November 30, 2020, 7,389 blood samples collected between December 13, 2019, and January 17, 2020, by the American Red Cross from normal donors in nine states (California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin) included 84 (1.1 percent) that were positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. According to the article, "These findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may have been introduced into the United States prior to January 19, 2020." [3]
On December 31, 2019, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) became aware of cases in China and began developing reports for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on January 1. [4] [5]
On January 3, CDC director Robert Redfield was notified by a counterpart in China that a "mysterious respiratory illness was spreading in Wuhan [China]"; he notified HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who shared the report with the National Security Council (NSC). According to The Washington Post , warnings about the virus were included in the President's Daily Brief in early January, an indicator of the emphasis placed on the virus by the intelligence community. [5] [4]
On January 3, Redfield emailed and spoke to George Gao, director of the Chinese CDC, and the following day, January 4, emailed an offer of technical assistance. [6]
On January 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a "pneumonia of unknown cause" in Wuhan. The WHO advised against travel or trade restrictions at the time. [7]
On January 6, the CDC issued a travel notice for the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China, [8] and CDC Director Redfield offered in a letter to Chinese officials to send a team of CDC scientists to assist China. China did not accept the offer for several weeks, which delayed the U.S. access to the virus, important for developing diagnostic tests and a vaccine. [4] China did release genetic data on the new coronavirus on January 9. [9]
During the week of January 6, officials of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) convened an intra-agency task force including Redfield (CDC), Azar (HHS), and Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. [4]
On January 7, the CDC established a coronavirus incident management system to better share and respond to information about the virus. [10]
On January 8, the CDC issued its first public alert about the coronavirus. [4]
On January 9, the WHO issued a statement naming the disease as a new coronavirus in Wuhan. [7]
On January 10, the WHO issued a comprehensive package of guidance to countries on how to test for potential cases. [11] By this date, the WHO warned of the risk of human-to-human transmission. [12] [13]
On January 11, the CDC updated the January 6 Level 1 travel health notice for Wuhan, China. [14]
On January 14, the WHO held a press briefing stating that the father had died; their information suggested a possibility of limited, but not sustained, human-to-human transmission. [15] The WHO recommended countries to take precautions due to the human-to-human transmission during earlier SARS and MERS outbreaks. [12] [13] The WHO also tweeted that "preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV)". [16] The head of China's National Health Commission, Ma Xiaowei, confidentially provided a "grim" situation assessment to key Chinese health officials. The related memo said "human-to-human transmission is possible." An investigation by AP News indicated that the reporting of a case in Thailand prompted the meeting, as well as the risk of spread with heightened travel during the Chinese New Year and various political considerations. However, the Chinese public is not warned until January 20. [17]
Beginning January 17, the CDC dispatched public health experts to screen incoming airport passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, adding monitors at Chicago and Atlanta in late January. [18]
On January 18, HHS Secretary Azar discussed the coronavirus outbreak with President Donald Trump, who, Azar said, criticized him as alarmist. [4]
On January 20, Chinese authorities announced the confirmation that human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus had already occurred. [19] [20]
The first recorded U.S. case of the new virus was also reported on January 20, in a 35-year-old American citizen traveling from Wuhan, China, to his home in Washington state. [21] [22]
By January 20, the CDC developed its own coronavirus test (as it typically does) and used it to evaluate the first U.S. case. The CDC test was soon found to be defective, with the third probe giving inconclusive results. The CDC directed state health department labs to send all samples to the CDC lab in Atlanta for evaluation, significantly increasing testing turn-around times. [23]
On January 20, Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping and State Council premier Li Keqiang issued the first public warning about the coronavirus to Chinese citizens. [17]
On January 20, Fauci announces the National Institutes of Health is already working on the development of a vaccine for the coronavirus. [24] [25]
On January 20, state and local health departments in the United States, in collaboration with teams deployed from the CDC, began identifying and monitoring all persons considered to have had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients. [26]
On January 21 the CDC activated its emergency operations center to enhance support for the coronavirus response. [27]
A man who had returned from Wuhan was hospitalized for the virus in Washington state on January 21, 2020. He was released after two weeks of treatment. A few days later, another case was reported in Chicago, by a woman who had also just returned from Wuhan. [28] A third case was confirmed a day later in Orange County, California. [29]
On a January 21 press telebriefing, [30] CDC and Washington State health officials announced the first U.S. case, describing how he had returned to Seattle via an indirect flight from Wuhan two days before the January 17 start of enhanced airport entry screening. After arrival, responding to ongoing passenger education, he recognized he should seek care and was appropriately evaluated locally with overnight confirmation by CDC with the just finalized test (utilizing the genetic data released days earlier from China), [31] with resulting isolation and contact tracing. The press was also advised that the enhanced screening then underway—initially at the 3 locations determined to be receiving the vast majority of direct and connecting flights from Wuhan—had so far processed over 1,200 passengers with negative findings, but that in conjunction with HSA and DOT the CDC was about to operationalize full coverage by a complex funneling of Wuhan passengers from all over the globe into designated airports by reissuing tickets and rerouting through connecting and direct flights. The CDC posture was stated as “being proactive at all levels,” and that they “continue to believe the risk of this novel coronavirus to the American public at large remains low at this time.”
On January 22, Trump received his first public question from a reporter regarding whether he was concerned about the coronavirus. Trump responded: "No, not at all. And we have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China ... It's going to be just fine." [4] Besides this response during a business-press interview while at Davos, [32] the President told other reporters “we do have a plan and we think it is going to be handled very well. We’ve already handled it very well. The CDC is terrific. Very professional.” [33] The NIH’s Dr. Fauci, interviewed a few days later on an AMA podcast about this case and the immediately subsequent handful of other travel-related cases, advised that “we handled it properly,” and that fortunately so far there were no secondary cases, but cautioned that the next few weeks would be critical as to whether it would become a sustained global outbreak or just "disappear the way SARS did.” [34]
On the same day of the President’s remarks while at Davos, the Emergency Committee of the WHO, meeting in Geneva, could not agree if the events in China warranted a declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), but considered the situation urgent and to reconvene in a matter of days to examine the matter further. An advisory by the Committee to China included provision that exit screening be conducted at international airports and ports in the affected provinces. [35]
On January 23, Chinese authorities lockdown Wuhan, a city of 11 million, which heightened the urgency for the U.S. response team. The Washington Post reported that Secretary Azar (HHS) instructed his team to establish a surveillance mechanism shortly thereafter, but the money and diagnostic tests "would elude U.S. officials for months". The entire Hubei province, which contains Wuhan, was locked-down January 30. [4]
On January 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a statement on the coronavirus, indicating that: "Human-to-human transmission is occurring and a preliminary R0 estimate of 1.4–2.5 was presented. Amplification has occurred in one health care facility. Of confirmed cases, 25% are reported to be severe. The source is still unknown (most likely an animal reservoir) and the extent of human-to-human transmission is still not clear." At the time, the fatality rate was 4% (17 of 557). The WHO recommended that: "[A]ll countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with [the] WHO." [36]
On January 23 the CDC sought an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA enabling states to use its newly developed coronavirus test. [37]
On January 24, the U.S. Senate was briefed on the coronavirus by key health officials. U.S. Senators Richard M. Burr, Kelly Loeffler, Dianne Feinstein, and James Inhofe allegedly sold stock thereafter, prior to significant declines in the stock market. In Senator Loeffler's case, the sales began the same day as the briefing. All denied any wrongdoing, citing various reasons. Senator Burr faced calls for his resignation. [38]
On January 24, President Trump praised China for its coronavirus efforts in a tweet. [7] Four days later WHO director Tedros met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and praised the efforts of the Chinese government in fighting COVID-19. [39]
Two more cases were confirmed on January 26, similarly by two people who had returned from Wuhan. [40] All cases to this point were allowed to self-isolate at home for two weeks, whereafter they were assumed to be no longer infected or contagious.[ citation needed ]
On January 27, the WHO assessed the risk of the coronavirus to be "high at the global level". [41]
In a January 27 press update the CDC reported that around 2400 travelers from Wuhan/Hubei had been screened so far, and that from all sources of surveillance there was an accumulation of 110 persons under investigation (PUI) from 26 states of which so far five persons had tested positive and 32 negative. [42]
On January 29, the U.S. formally announced a White House Coronavirus Task Force, including senior officials such as acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and others at HHS, CDC, and the U.S. State Department. President Trump attended the meeting on January 29, and tweeted related photos. [43] However, the scope was limited initially to the logistics of keeping travelers out of the U.S. from China, and evacuating U.S. citizens. They did not initially focus on testing or supplies in the U.S. [4]
On January 29, the U.S. government evacuated 195 State Department employees from Wuhan along with their families and other U.S. citizens to March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, California, where they were kept under quarantine for 14 days, although none had been infected. [44] [45]
The New York Times reported that President Trump was told "at the time" of a January 29 memo by trade adviser Peter Navarro that the coronavirus could cause as many as half a million deaths and trillions in economic damage. Further, on January 30, HHS Secretary Azar warned President Trump about the "possibility of a pandemic". [5]
On January 29, WHO Health Emergencies program leader Dr. Mike Ryan said in a press briefing: "The whole world needs to be on alert now ... and be ready for any cases that come from the epicenter ..." At the time, 68 cases had been confirmed outside China, affecting persons in 15 countries. [7]
On January 30, the first case of person-to-person transmission was confirmed in Chicago, between a married couple, after the wife returned from China. [46]
On January 30, the WHO named the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, warning that "all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread". [47] [48] The statement also praised the "impressive" Chinese response. [49] The WHO also released a statement that included: "The Committee believes that it is still possible to interrupt virus spread, provided that countries put in place strong measures to detect disease early, isolate and treat cases, trace contacts, and promote social distancing measures commensurate with the risk." [50] However, the federal government and individual states did not direct their populations to practice social distancing (e.g., stay at home except for essential travel) until March 19. [51] Further, as late as April 8, five states had no social distancing rules and three others had rules for only parts of the state. [52]
On January 31, another case of a person who returned from Wuhan was confirmed in California, which marked the seventh known case in the U.S. [53]
On January 31, the Trump Administration, through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, declared a public health emergency, and imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for any U.S. citizens who has visited Hubei Province in China within the preceding two weeks. It also began denying entry of non-U.S. nationals who had traveled to China within the preceding two weeks. This was the first such travel restriction by the U.S. in more than 50 years. [54] [55]
On January 31, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in coordination with the CDC directed all flights to the U.S. carrying travelers recently from, or otherwise present within, the People's Republic of China to arrive at designated U.S. airports where public health resources had been focused. Three days later the airport list was expanded. [56]
As of January 31, CDC had responded to clinical inquiries from state and local health departments, health care providers, and airport health screening personnel to assist in evaluating approximately 650 persons thought to be at risk for 2019-nCoV infection from travel, close contact with a 2019-nCov patient or person under investigation (PUI) for 2019-nCoV in the U.S. [57]
President Trump repeatedly claimed credit for acting early with the travel ban. However, The Washington Post reported that 300,000 people traveled to the U.S. from China during the month prior to the ban. [4] [The travel ban was not a ban, but a 14-day waiting period. Also, a month before January 31, not even WHO believed COVID had human-to-human transmission and there were no known cases in the United States until January 21. [58] See January 14th above about WHO's lack of knowledge.] The New York Times reported that more than 40,000 persons traveled from China to the U.S. after the January 31 partial ban, and around 430,000 total between the December 31 disclosure of the outbreak by China and April 4. [59] The Washington Post reported that six other countries had restricted travel from China before January 30, six did so on January 31, and by the time U.S. travel restrictions became effective on February 2, 38 other countries had taken action before or at the same time as the U.S. restrictions. The earliest action was Singapore on January 23. [60] Flights from Europe were not banned until March 11, with hundreds of thousands crossing the Atlantic into the U.S., due to disputes about the impact on the U.S. economy among Trump Administration officials. [4]
New cases were being reported throughout the country nearly every day. Many are people who have recently returned from China, including a college student from Boston and a woman in California who returned from Wuhan. [61] Two more cases of person-to-person transmission are reported in California.[ citation needed ]
The Washington Post reported that HHS Secretary Azar, responding to concerns about a "startling" shortage of essential medical supplies (masks, gowns, gloves, etc.), wrote letters in late January and early February asking for additional funding. Since China also needed such supplies, replenishing them could be difficult as much of the manufacturing was in China. He also made a formal request for $4 billion on February 5, which "OMB officials and others at the White House greeted as an outrage". Congress later increased the figure to $8 billion, and Trump signed it into law on March 6 (two days after passage by Congress on March 4 [62] ), but this delay meant that the U.S. would increasingly compete with other nations for such supplies. [4]
On February 3, 49 members of Congress signed a letter to CDC Director Redfield highlighting the urgency of distributing a rapid diagnostic kit that could be processed locally, rather than centrally at the CDC in Atlanta, which they referred to as an "unsustainable bottleneck" as the number of suspected cases rise. [23] [63]
On February 3, Reuters reported that WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was no need for measures that "unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade" to halt the coronavirus. He praised the Chinese response, and referred to the virus's spread as "minimal and slow". [64]
On February 3, it was reported by Reuters from a briefing by Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, that the CDC had a team waiting and ready to go to China as soon as they are allowed to go in. [65]
On February 4, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the CDC diagnostic to test for coronavirus. [66]
On February 5, the twelfth case is discovered: another college student from Wisconsin. [67] That day, the U.S. evacuates 345 citizens from Hubei Province and takes them to two air bases in California to be quarantined for 14 days. [68] Another government evacuation flight takes place on February 6, containing 300 passengers, most of who are taken to bases in Nebraska and Texas. By this time, more than 500 people are quarantined at three air bases. [69]
On February 5, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and other top officials including Dr Anthony Fauci briefed Congressional lawmakers on the Federal Government's coronavirus response efforts. [70]
On February 6, the Centers for Disease Control began sending 90 of its own viral detection tests to state-run labs which discovered the tests were inadequate and viral samples had to be shipped to the Atlanta CDC lab instead. [4] Also on February 6, the WHO Director-General said: "We have shipped 250,000 tests to more than 70 laboratories around the world, and we're training lab workers to use them." [71] Researchers at Stanford and other laboratories had developed tests following the WHO protocol, but "relatively tight" rules at the Food and Drug Administration discouraged them from using them. These rules were not relaxed until early March. [5]
On February 6, 57-year-old Patricia Dowd of San Jose, California became the first COVID-19 death in the United States (discovered by April 2020). She died at home without any known recent foreign travel, after being unusually sick from flu in late January, then recovering, working from home, and suddenly dying on February 6. A February 7 autopsy [72] was completed in April (after virus tests on tissue samples) and attributed the death to Transmural Myocardial Ischemia (Infarction) with a Minor Component of Myocarditis due to COVID-19 Infection. Her case indicates that community transmission was happening undetected in the US, most likely since December. [73] [74] [75] [76] [77]
In a recorded interview later made public by journalist Bob Woodward, Trump said on February 7 that he knew the novel coronavirus was airborne and that "It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flus." [78] For the next month, however, he would publicly minimize the threat of the virus, and told Woodward in March that "I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." [78]
On February 9, The White House Coronavirus Task Force briefed governors from across the nation at the National Governors’ Association Meeting in Washington. [79]
On February 11, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing: "[A] virus is more powerful in creating political, economic and social upheaval than any terrorist attack ... If the world doesn't want to wake up and consider this enemy virus and Public Enemy Number 1, I don't think we will learn our lessons." [7] Ending six weeks of uncertainty the WHO, at a press conference the same day, announced the official name for the new illness (as abbreviated) -- 'Covid-19.' Concurrently the separate international body charged with classifying and naming viruses named the actual causative coronavirus 'SARS-CoV-2' (since it was considered to be a variant of the virus that in 2002–03 caused severe acute respiratory syndrome), but which name a WHO spokesperson advised Science magazine that WHO would not be using in part out of concern the word 'SARS' could cause "unnecessary fear"—or, as it was put by the BBC -- "extra panic." [80] [81]
On February 11, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded a partnership with Janssen Research & Development, a part of Johnson & Johnson, to “expedite the development” of a coronavirus vaccine. [82]
On February 14, the CDC announced it is working with the existing public health department network of community-based influenza surveillance intending to aid in early detection of coronavirus. [83]
From February 12 to 15, three more cases are confirmed, all who travelled from Wuhan, and are similarly quarantined. [84] [85]
Numerous large conventions were held during this time frame and later February in NYC and Boston hotels, with thousands in attendance. One scientific-based convention in Boston seaport was documented to have spread the virus to the western suburbs and noted in the Globe newspaper.[ citation needed ] The national SCBWI convention in NYC drew thousands, mostly teachers, who attended a standing room only sessions featuring the best selling author Jame Patterson held in an oversized auditorium. They then returned to classrooms.[ citation needed ] There followed the extreme outbreak of the virus in the mid-Atlantic area, NYC and NJ in particular.[ citation needed ] People and presenters exhibited flu-like symptoms at the SCBWI convention.[ citation needed ]
On February 15, the government evacuates 338 U.S. nationals stranded aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which had been held in quarantine in Yokohama, Japan. [86] Fourteen of those repatriated people are infected with the virus. [87] Five more nationals who were also reported as being infected are evacuated from the ship the following week, and are quarantined at an airbase in California. Six more cases are subsequently confirmed among those who were evacuated from the cruise ship. [88]
On February 18, HHS announced it would engage with Sanofi Pasteur in an effort to quickly develop a vaccine and treatments against the novel coronavirus. [89]
The New York Times reported that the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, Dr. Duane C. Caneva, continued hosting a series of coronavirus e-mail chains begun in January among a group of infectious disease experts from academia and government. The group referred to these chains as the "Red Dawn" e-mails, (a movie reference). On February 17, an e-mail from one participant indicated that the type of social gathering on the Diamond Princess cruise ship wasn't that different from a mall, school, or work environment. Another February 17 e-mail indicated that non-pharmaceutical interventions ("NPI") such as school and business closures would be difficult for local officials to direct without federal action to provide political cover. By the third week of February, the group had "effectively concluded that the United States had already lost the fight to contain the virus, and that it needed to switch to mitigation" such as NPI's. This was based on the "realization that many people in the country were likely infected and capable of spreading the disease, but not showing any symptoms". For instance, by the time of the European travel ban on March 11 (a containment strategy), the group considered such containment steps ineffective. Trump still had not directed NPI's as of March 11. As late as March 13, the CDC was still questioning the benefit of closing schools. Governors began to implement NPI's thereafter, "largely without federal leadership". [90]
On February 20 and 21, two more cases of people who had returned from China are confirmed in California. [91] The first case of community transmission, because it had no known origin, is confirmed in Solano County, California, on February 26. [92] A second case of unknown origin is confirmed two days later, also in California, followed by others in Oregon and Washington state. [93]
On February 22, a U.N. WHO team of international specialists from the U.S., Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, and South Korea arrives in Wuhan city. [94]
By Mid-February, the U.S. was testing about a hundred samples per day. Researchers concluded in late February that "the virus had probably been spreading for weeks" person-to-person. The CDC test initially used three genetic sequences or "probes", but sometime after February 24, directed states to use a workaround of using two of the three probes and evaluating them locally. [23]
As of February 23, fourteen COVID-19 cases had been diagnosed from six states: Arizona -1 case, California -8, Illinois -2, and Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin, 1 case each). Twelve of the cases were related to travel to China, and two occurred through person-to-person transmission from close household contacts with confirmed COVID-19. An additional 39 cases were reported among repatriated U.S. citizens, residents, and their families returning from Hubei province China, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was docked in Yokohama, Japan. Airport screening by then totaled 46,016 travelers of which 11 had been referred to a hospital with one testing positive, isolated, and managed medically. Seventeen had been quarantined because of travel from Hubei Province with 4 remaining. [95] (The CDC would later have to conclude after months of further experience involving more than 700,000 screenings that temperature and symptom-based entry screening was ineffective likely due to multiple factors including an overall low COVID-19 prevalence in travelers, the relatively long incubation period, illness presentation with a wide range of severity, afebrile cases, nonspecific symptoms common to other infections, asymptomatic infections, and travelers who might deny symptoms or take steps to avoid detection of illness (e.g., through use of antipyretic or cough suppressant medications). [96]
On February 24, President Trump tweeted: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA ... CDC and World Health [Organization] have been working hard and very smart." [7]
On February 24, Speaker Pelosi, when asked if people should stay away from San Francisco's Chinatown stated: "That’s what we’re trying to do today is to say everything is fine here." Pelosi said. "Come because precautions have been taken. The city is on top of the situation." [97]
On February 25, HHS Secretary Azar testified before the U.S. Senate. National Geographic summarized his testimony, reporting that "the Strategic National Stockpile has just 30 million surgical masks and 12 million [N95] respirators in reserve." An additional 300 million of each could be required to protect health workers. HHS said it intended to purchase as many as half a billion respirators and surgical face masks over the next year and a half.National Geographic concluded that the "U.S. has only a fraction of the medical supplies it needs to combat coronavirus." [98]
On February 25, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, delivered a briefing indicating that "disruption to everyday life might be severe." The New York Times reported that President Trump was "furious", and HHS Secretary Azar attempted downplay her comments in a news conference later that day. [5]
On February 26 at a news conference, President Trump said: "When you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done." [7] The next day Dr. Redfield of the CDC testified to a House committee that "as of February 26, 2020 14 cases have been reported across 6 states, and 45 cases have been detected among people repatriated from Hubei, China and the Diamond Princess We expect to see additional imported cases and limited person- to-person spread. While community-wide transmission has not been documented yet in the United States, it is expected, and we are aggressively preparing for it.” He added: “Most cases of COVID-19 in the United States have been associated with travel from China, but some person-to-person spread among close contacts of travelers has been seen. It’s important to note that this virus is not spreading within American communities at this time.” [99] The evolving understanding at that time by CDC/NIH experts was also expressed in a February 28 New England Journal of Medicine online editorial regarding the just published observations from Wuhan on the first several hundred cases which appeared to indicate that as an illness Covid-19 would be more akin to a severe seasonal influenza or a pandemic influenza rather than SARS or MERS, but of concern in being more efficient in transmission, as well as having comparatively increased infectivity when symptoms were minimal. [100]
On February 26, Vice-President Mike Pence was appointed to lead the Coronavirus Task Force, replacing HHS Secretary Azar as the group's leader. Pence was the first official from within Trump's White House to coordinate the planning and response, two months after the government became aware of the coronavirus. [5]
On February 28, the CDC revised its faulty test for COVID-19. [101] [102]
On February 29, the first death from coronavirus in the U.S. was reported at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland, Washington, followed by two other confirmed cases in a nursing home in the same city. [103] (Later, it would be reported that the first U.S. death had actually occurred on February 6.) [74] On February 29, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency for the State of Washington. New cases continued to show up in California and Illinois. [104] The Food and Drug Administration began loosening rules that had restricted labs from developing their own coronavirus tests. [105]
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announces the state's first reported case of COVID-19: a woman in her late 30s, who apparently contracted the virus while traveling in Iran and is self-isolating at home, in New York City. [106] Oregon confirmed its second case, a household contact of its first case. [107] The Rhode Island Department of Health announces a presumptive case in a person in their 40s who had traveled to Italy in mid-February, [108] and a second case, a teenager who had traveled with the first person. [109]
On March 2, coronavirus cases in the U.S. reach 100, including 48 from repatriated citizens from Wuhan or the Diamond Princess. [110] New Hampshire officials announce the state's first case, an employee with Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center who had been to Italy. [111]
On March 3, when the state has no confirmed cases, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine cancels the Arnold Classic due to coronavirus concerns, a move which The Washington Post said seemed radical at the time. [112] On March 3, Arizona's Department of Health Services reports a new confirmed case in Maricopa County, a man in his 20s who had made contact with a case outside of Arizona. The man was isolated in his home. [113] In New Hampshire, public health officials confirm a second case of coronavirus in an individual who made contact with the first case after the first case defied quarantine orders and attended a private event organized by Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business in White River Junction, Vermont. [114] [115] New York officials announce the state's second confirmed case: a man in his 50s in New Rochelle, Westchester County [116] [117] who had not recently traveled to any foreign countries affected by the outbreak. [118] In North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper announces the state's first confirmed case: a person who had traveled to Washington and was "exposed at a long term care facility". They are in stable condition and in isolation at their home. [119]
Nevada, Colorado, Tennessee, and Maryland announce their first cases, New Jersey announces a second presumptive case, while Washington announces 31 new cases.
Ten states report their first case of coronavirus: Hawaii, Utah, Nebraska, Kentucky, Indiana, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. Many cases are associated with passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which is being held off the California coast near San Francisco. Testing on the ship reveals 21 positives. The day also sees 6 deaths reported. Four are reported from Washington, by the hospital that treated patients from the LifeCare long-term care facility. Two are reported from Florida, and represent the third state (after Washington and California) with reported deaths. This brings the total deaths to 18, 15 in Washington, 1 in California, and 2 in Florida.
The President signed an $8.3 billion bill providing $7.76 billion to federal, state, and local agencies for combating the coronavirus, and authorizing an additional $500 million in waivers for Medicare telehealth restrictions. [148]
Virginia, [149] Kansas, Missouri, and Washington, D.C. [150] announces its first cases. A new death is reported for March 7 in Washington. This brings the total confirmed U.S. deaths due to coronavirus to 19, 16 in Washington, 1 in California, and 2 in Florida. In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf announces two new positive cases in Montgomery County; both cases are related to travel within the United States. [151]
Iowa and Vermont report their first cases of infection with the coronavirus. Three new deaths were reported in Washington. This brought the total confirmed U.S. deaths due to coronavirus to 22: 19 in Washington, 1 in California, and 2 in Florida.
Speaking from the lectern at the White House Coronavirus Task Force press availability, President Trump says that the virus is "very much under control", was less deadly than influenza, and that the case count would soon approach zero. Explaining his approach to Woodward nine days later, he said, "I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." [78] News organization CNN formally declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. [156]
It is reported that the Trump administration, without explanation, postponed the Director of National Intelligence's (DNI) annual US World Wide Threat Assessment which warns that the U.S. remains unprepared for a global pandemic. The office of the DNI was scheduled to deliver the Assessment to the House Intelligence Committee on February 12. [157]
South Dakota and Michigan report their first cases. Mitigation measures are expanded in New York, Massachusetts and Washington with a transition to online classes for universities and colleges. The first semi-containment zone is announced in New York. Two new deaths are reported in Washington and one death each in California, New Jersey, and South Dakota. This brings the total number of U.S. deaths to 31 (24 WA, 3 CA, 2 FL, 1 NJ, 1 SD).
The President and VP Pence met with top health insurance companies and secured a commitment to waive co-pays for coronavirus testing and treatment. [171] [172]
Confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States surpass 1,100. [173] Arkansas, Delaware, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming reported their first cases. More universities and colleges suspend classes or move to remote-access teaching. Washington Governor Jay Inslee orders a halt to all gatherings of greater than 250 in three counties, while Ohio Governor Mike DeWine orders all public gatherings of more than 1,000 people to be banned statewide. Five new deaths are reported in Washington and one death in California. This brings the total U.S. deaths to 37 (29 WA, 4 CA, 2 FL, 1 NJ, 1 SD).
President Trump said in an Oval Office address: "The vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low." [7]
During the March 11 national address the President directed the SBA to use its existing authorities to provide capital and liquidity to businesses impacted by COVID-19, effective immediately, and called on Congress to increase this fund by $50 billion (later to be expanded to 250 billion). [185] [186] In the address he also directed the Treasury Department to defer tax payments for affected individuals and businesses. [187]
WHO Director-General Tedros said the WHO "made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic". [7]
Total U.S. cases passed 1,500. More universities and colleges transitioned to online attendance across the country. Public school closures are announced in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, Virginia and Washington state. Georgia and Kansas report their first deaths and Washington state reports 2 additional deaths. This brings the total U.S. deaths to 41 (31 WA, 4 CA, 2 FL, 1 NJ, 1 SD, 1 GA, 1 KS).
Most major sports leagues, including MLS, the NHL, and the National Lacrosse League, announced the suspension of their seasons that were already in progress. The XFL terminated its inaugural season, while Major League Baseball announced the cancellation of all remaining spring training games and delayed the start of their 2020 season. In addition, the NCAA canceled all postseason tournaments in their winter and spring sports, which included the men's and women's basketball tournaments, as well as the baseball and softball tournaments. The cancellation of the basketball tournament marked the first time the tournament was not held due to unforeseen circumstances.
On March 12, HHS placed its first order of N95 respirators for healthcare workers of $4.8 million. However, the supplier contract required delivery to begin around the end of April. Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated: "We basically wasted two months." [202] [203]
Total U.S. cases passed 2,100. Colorado reported its first death, [204] Florida and California both reported an additional death, and Washington state reported 6 additional deaths. This brought the total number of deaths in the U.S. to 50 (37 WA, 5 CA, 3 FL, 1 NJ, 1 SD, 1 GA, 1 KS, 1 CO). The NHL (National Hockey League) asked players to self-quarantine for a week or more in an attempt to save the season. [205]
Later that day, President Trump took a COVID-19 test after coming into contact with several people who had contracted the disease and found to be negative. [206] [207] On March 13 the House passed an aid package for workers and individuals that was supported by President Trump. [208]
In a March 13, 2020, report "not for public distribution", the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) used the working assumptions for their response plan, that the COVID-19 "pandemic will last 18 months or longer and could include multiple waves of illness", and that resultant "supply chain and transportation impacts" would "likely result in significant shortages". [209]
President Trump issues the Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak, declaring a national state of emergency. [210]
The President's national emergency proclamation enabled FEMA to tap into billions of existing dollars and mobilize personnel more quickly to help state and local agencies respond to the pandemic. [225] [226] The Administration also announced public-private partnerships to open up drive-through testing collection sites, [227] [228] [229] [230] an emergency approval for automated coronavirus testing kits by FDA to Roche AG, [231] emergency approval to Thermo Fisher for a rapid coronavirus test, [232] funding by HHS for development of two new rapid diagnostic tests. [233]
On March 13, Reuters reported that Germany and Italy ordered 10,000 and 5,000 ventilators, respectively. [234] The U.S. follows with a 10,000 ventilator order in late March, with many not expected to arrive until the summer or fall, too late for the expected peak impact. [4]
In mid March U.S. auto manufacturers were enlisted to make ventilators and production started in a little less than a month. [235] [236]
The total U.S. cases passed 2,700. Five additional deaths were reported by state health departments: three in Washington, one in Florida, and one in Louisiana. In addition, New York's first death was reported in the news media and the governor of New Jersey announced the state's second death on Twitter. This brought reported deaths to 7 for the day.[ citation needed ]
On March 15, the CDC issued guidance recommending against any gathering of 50 or more people for an eight-week period. [242]
President Trump issued new guidelines urging people to avoid social gatherings of more than ten people and to restrict discretionary travel. He stopped short of ordering a quarantine or a curfew, but he said restrictions may last until July or August. He acknowledged that the country may be headed for a recession. Despite the fact that the Federal Reserve Bank lowered interest rates the day prior, the stock market fell once again. [260]
5,145 people in the United States had been infected; at least 91 had died. [279] The Peace Corps fired all 7,300 volunteers in 61 countries. [280]
As of March 17, vessel manifests maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed a steady flow of the medical equipment needed to treat the coronavirus being shipped abroad. FEMA, meanwhile, said the agency "has not actively encouraged or discouraged U.S. companies from exporting overseas", and has asked USAID to send back its reserves of protective gear stored in warehouses for use in the U.S. [303] [304]
President Trump told reporters: "This is a pandemic ... I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic." [7]
The Department of Defense announced it will make available to HHS up to five million respirator masks and 2,000 ventilators. [305]
Secretary of Agriculture Perdue announced a partnership between USDA, Baylor University, McLane Global, and Pepsi Co. to provide one million meals per week to rural children in response to widespread school closure. [306] [307]
The Treasury Department deferred $300 billion in tax payments for 90 days without penalty, up to $1 million for individuals and $10 million for business. [308]
Three thousand doctors and medical workers sign a letter asking ICE to release individuals and families detained for immigration violations, noting that overcrowded conditions are ripe for the propagation of a virus. [328]
The U.S has 19,285 confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 249 deaths. [349]
President Trump tweeted about potential coronavirus treatments, specifying Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin. [7]
Coronavirus deaths in the United States stand at 326. [374]
WHO Director-General Tedros said, "Using untested medicines without the right evidence could raise false hope and do more harm than good." He also described the pandemic as "accelerating". [7]
The Justice department created a price gouging and hoarding task force to investigate and prosecute scams and other crimes related to the pandemic. [393]
Three U.S. Army hospital units were deployed to New York and Washington State. [398] The Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard have under construction four hospitals and four medical centers in New York. [399] FEMA sent New York 2,000 ventilators. [400]
Senate Republicans and Democrats strike a deal on a version of the stimulus bill which includes: providing $1,200 to most adults (phased out for persons making from $75,000 to $99,000 a year), $600 a week unemployment benefits (approximately $2,400 a month) on top of state unemployment benefits and to last potentially for four months and including freelancers and other workers in the "gig economy", and $500 billion for businesses and municipalities. This last part is to be overseen by an inspector general in the Treasury Department and a Congressional Oversight panel. [401]
A survey of more than forty leading economists by the University of Chicago published on March 27 indicated that prematurely ending lockdowns (e.g., business closures) would do more economic harm than good. Specifically, none of the economists surveyed disagreed with the statement that: "Abandoning severe lockdowns at a time when the likelihood of a resurgence in infections remains high will lead to greater total economic damage than sustaining the lockdowns to eliminate the resurgence risk." [415]
President Trump signs the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act into law on March 27.[ citation needed ]
The White House extended the President's Coronavirus Guidelines for America from the CDC: "30 Days to Slow the Spread of Coronavirus" as an extension of the previous "15 Days" guidelines which were issued on March 16. [421]
As of March 31, Our World in Data reported there were 3,170 deaths, 164,620 confirmed cases, and 1.07 million tests completed in the U.S. [429]
The NYT reported on March 28 that despite significant improvement in testing capacity in the U.S., "hospitals and clinics across the country still must deny tests to those with milder symptoms, trying to save them for the most serious cases, and they often must wait a week for results." Mr. Trump asked the South Korean president for as many kits as possible from the 100,000 produced daily there. However, "having the ability to diagnose the disease three months after it was first disclosed by China does little to address why the United States was unable to do so sooner, when it might have helped reduce the toll of the pandemic." One expert indicated the delay of testing adversely impacted other aspects of the coronavirus response. [5] Vox reported that during the week of March 25 to April 1, the U.S. was "performing about 110,000 tests per day". Several experts estimated that between 500,000 and "millions" of tests per day are necessary. There are many challenges to ramping up capacity: "Complaints vary, but labs say they don't have enough swabs, test kits, reagents, personal protective equipment (PPE), staff, or machines to run the specific tests required." Money and regulations are also challenges. [430]
President Trump alleges that the WHO mishandled the pandemic. He questioned why the WHO had recommended "keeping our borders open to China early on", advice he rejected. He mentioned the WHO was funded largely by the U.S., but was very "China-centric". [7]
AP reported that: "Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said Tuesday that the U.S. does not yet have the critical testing and tracing procedures needed to begin reopening the nation's economy ... Fauci said that a May 1 target is 'a bit overly optimistic' for many areas of the country. Any easing off the strict social-distancing rules in place in much of the country would have to occur on a rolling basis, not all at once." [463]
President Trump announced his decision to halt U.S. funding to the WHO, alleging the U.S. would review alleged mismanagement and cover-up efforts. WHO officials disputed his allegations the following day, saying that: a) the world was alerted January 5; b) countries globally began to respond January 6; and c) WHO provided updates throughout the period. [7]
As of April 16, there were 639,664 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S., with 30,985 confirmed deaths, a 4.8% mortality rate. An estimated 3.24 million tests had been conducted, indicating about 20% of those tested had coronavirus. [472] [473]
As of April 30, Our World in Data reported that for the U.S. there were 60,966 total deaths, 1.04 million confirmed cases, and 6.25 million tests completed. The U.S. averaged about 145,200 tests per day between April 1 and April 15 and 199,000 per day from April 16 to April 30. [429]
The number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. tops 100,000. [514]
As of May 31, Our World in Data reported that for the U.S. there were 103,781 total deaths, 1.77 million confirmed cases, and about 14 million tests completed. [515]
The Pentagon reports biggest increase in the Department of Defense since mid- April on COVID-19 cases bringing the number up to 10,462. The DoD includes military members, their dependents, contractors and civilians. The United States Navy remains as the most affected Branch as of June 5. [516]
As of June 30, Our World in Data reported that for the U.S. there were 126,140 total deaths, 2.59 million confirmed cases, and about 30 million tests completed. [517]
On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency on January 31. Restrictions were placed on flights arriving from China, but the initial U.S. response to the pandemic was otherwise slow in terms of preparing the healthcare system, stopping other travel, and testing. The first known American deaths occurred in February and in late February President Donald Trump proposed allocating $2.5 billion to fight the outbreak. Instead, Congress approved $8.3 billion with only Senator Rand Paul and two House representatives voting against, and Trump signed the bill, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, on March 6. Trump declared a national emergency on March 13. The government also purchased large quantities of medical equipment, invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950 to assist. By mid-April, disaster declarations were made by all states and territories as they all had increasing cases. A second wave of infections began in June, following relaxed restrictions in several states, leading to daily cases surpassing 60,000. By mid-October, a third surge of cases began; there were over 200,000 new daily cases during parts of December 2020 and January 2021.
The first cases of the COVID-19 pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in North America were reported in the United States on 23 January 2020. Cases were reported in all North American countries after Saint Kitts and Nevis confirmed a case on 25 March, and in all North American territories after Bonaire confirmed a case on 16 April.
The first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States was announced by the state of Washington on January 21, 2020. Washington made the first announcement of a death from the disease in the U.S. on February 29 and later announced that two deaths there on February 26 were also due to COVID-19. Until mid-March, Washington had the highest absolute number of confirmed cases and the highest number per capita of any state in the country, until it was surpassed by New York state on April 10, 2020. Many of the deceased were residents of a nursing home in Kirkland, an Eastside suburb of Seattle in King County.
The COVID-19 pandemic in California began earlier than in some other parts of the United States. Ten of the first 20 confirmed COVID-19 infections in the United States were detected in California, and the first infection was confirmed on January 26, 2020. All of the early confirmed cases were persons who had recently travelled to China, as testing was restricted to this group, but there were some other people infected by that point. A state of emergency was declared in the state on March 4, 2020. A mandatory statewide stay-at-home order was issued on March 19, 2020; it was ended on January 25, 2021. On April 6, 2021, the state announced plans to fully reopen the economy by June 15, 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Arizona in January 2020. As of June 3, 2021 Arizona public health authorities reported 322 new cases of COVID-19 and five deaths, bringing the cumulative totals since the start of the pandemic to 882,691 cases and 17,653 deaths. 12.3% of the state's population has been positively diagnosed with COVID-19 since the first case was reported on January 26, 2020.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. state of Illinois on January 24, 2020, when a woman in Chicago, who had just returned from the pandemic's place of origin in Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus. This was the second case of COVID-19 in the United States during the pandemic. The woman's husband was diagnosed with the disease a few days later, the first known case of human-to-human transmission in the United States. Community transmission was not suspected until March 8, when a case with no connection to other cases or recent travel was confirmed.
The first presumptive case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana was announced on March 9, 2020. Since the first confirmed case, the outbreak grew particularly fast relative to other states and countries. As of September 29, 2022, there have been 1,454,828 cumulative COVID-19 cases and 18,058 deaths. Confirmed cases have appeared in all 64 parishes, though the New Orleans metro area alone has seen the majority of positive tests and deaths. Governor John Bel Edwards closed schools statewide on March 16, 2020, restricted most businesses to takeout and delivery only, postponed presidential primaries, and placed limitations on large gatherings. On March 23, Edwards enacted a statewide stay-at-home order to encourage social distancing, and President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the fourth state to receive one.
The first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the American state of Michigan were discovered on March 10, 2020, one day before the outbreak of the disease was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. As of December 20, 2022, 2,977,727 cases have been identified, causing 40,657 deaths.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Ohio on March 9, 2020, when the state's first cases were reported. The first death from COVID-19 in Ohio was reported on March 19. Subsequently, records supported by further testing showed that undetected cases had existed in Ohio since early January, with the first confirmed death on March 17. By April 23, Ohio had 656 confirmed deaths; by May 1, there were 1,002 confirmed deaths. Accurate data was difficult to obtain due to limited test availability. By December 12, a total of 553,461 cases had been reported leading to 31,803 hospitalizations and 7,477 deaths.
As of December 22, 2022, Oklahoma has been impacted more by Covid than the average U.S. state. Statistics for the U.S. as a whole are 331 deaths per 100,000 population with 68 percent of the population fully vaccinated. The comparable statistics for Oklahoma are 405 deaths per 100,000 population with 59 percent of the population fully vaccinated. 16,041 deaths from Covid have been recorded in Oklahoma. A wide variation in deaths from Covid exists between counties in Oklahoma. Greer County recorded a death rate of .00753. Payne County recorded a death rate of only .00231 (231 deaths per 100,000 residents.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Alabama in March 2020. As of January 10, 2022, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADHP) reported nearly a million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16,630 confirmed deaths. At 330 deaths per 100,000 Alabama has the highest death rate in the US along with Mississippi.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota is part of an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the state of Minnesota. The first confirmed case was reported on March 6, 2020. Governor Tim Walz declared a state of emergency on March 13.
The U.S. state of West Virginia reported its first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020, becoming the last state to do so. The patient had shown symptoms for several days prior. On March 29, 2020, the state reported its first COVID-19 death.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, former passengers of the cruise ship Grand Princess who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were being linked to cruises they had taken on the ship while it traveled between California, Mexico, and Hawaii. After the first confirmed death on 4 March 2020, Grand Princess was rerouted to the San Francisco Bay Area, where it was anchored offshore while test kits were airlifted to the ship. Preliminary testing found 21 positive cases, and the ship later docked in Oakland on 9 March 2020, with over 3,000 people entering quarantine.
The federal government of the United States initially responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country with various declarations of emergency, some of which led to travel and entry restrictions and the formation of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. As the pandemic progressed in the U.S. and globally, the U.S. government began issuing recommendations regarding the response by state and local governments, as well as social distancing measures and workplace hazard controls. State governments played a primary role in adopting policies to address the pandemic. Following the closure of most businesses throughout a number of U.S. states, President Donald Trump announced the mobilization of the National Guard in the most affected areas. In January 2022, President Biden confirmed there's no federal solution to the pandemic as cases were climbing dramatically.
COVID-19 testing in the United States can identify whether a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. This helps health professionals ascertain how bad the epidemic is and where it is worst. The accuracy of national statistics on the number of cases and deaths from the outbreak depend on knowing how many people are being tested every day, and how the available tests are being allocated.
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in California.
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas.
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland.
The United States' response to the COVID-19 pandemic with consists of various measures by the medical community; the federal, state, and local governments; the military; and the private sector. The public response has been highly polarized, with partisan divides being observed and a number of concurrent protests and unrest complicating the response.
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