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This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, in May 2022. The first human cases of COVID-19 were identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
- Overview
- Late 2019
- Early 2020
- Mid 2020
- Late 2020
- Early 2021
- Mid 2021
- Late 2021
- Early 2022
- Mid 2022
This timeline provides information about select moments in the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and around the world beginning from its known origins to today.
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December 12, 2019
A cluster of patients in China’s Hubei Province, in the city of Wuhan, begin to experience the symptoms of an atypical pneumonia-like illness that does not respond well to standard treatments.
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December 31, 2019
The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in China is informed of several cases of a pneumonia of unknown etiology (cause) with symptoms including shortness of breath and fever occurring in Wuhan, China. All initial cases seem connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.
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January1, 2020
The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan is closed amid worries in China of a reprise of the 2002–2004 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus or SARS-CoV-1) outbreak.
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January 2, 2020
WHO activates its Incident Management Support Team (IMST) across all three organizational levels: Country Office, Regional Office, and Headquarters.
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May 1, 2020
FDA issues an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of the antiviral drug Remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in people who are hospitalized with severe disease.
CDC develops the “PPE Burn Rate Calculator,” a spreadsheet-based model made to help healthcare facilities plan and optimize the use of personal protective equipment or PPE for the COVID-19 response and publishes it on the Apple and Android App stores.
CDC launches the SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing for Public Health Emergency Response, Epidemiology and Surveillance (SPHERES), a national network to provide real-time genomic sequencing data to public health response teams investigating COVID-19 cases, allowing them to track the SARS-CoV-2 virus as it evolves.
As some countries discuss re-opening, WHO convenes the International Health Regulation Emergency Committee for a third time and declares that the global COVID-19 pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
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September 1, 2020
The U.S. and China decline to join the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, or COVAX, a global program spearheaded by WHO that aims to develop and distribute COVID-19 vaccines worldwide— more than 170 other nations sign on.
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September 3, 2020
The Journal of the American Medical Association and WHO now recommend the use of steroids for the treatment of severe COVID-19 disease after multiple studies find that steroids like dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, and methylprednisolone— a group of cheap and widely available drugs that reduce inflammation and immune response— can reduce mortality in severe cases of COVID-19 by up to 36%.
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January 6, 2021
HHS and CDC announce plans to provide $22 billion in funding for states, localities, and territories to support expanded COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
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January 8, 2021
Amid vaccine shortages, scientists at Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), look for ways to double the supply to prevent future shortages.
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May 10, 2021
FDA expands the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include all adolescents ages 12–15 years.
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May 12, 2021
ACIP recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for all adolescents ages 12–15 years.
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September 1, 2021
CDC releases a digital toolkit for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and their caregivers to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, with communication resources like videos, stories, posters, and interactive activities about getting tested, vaccinated, masking, and social distancing. To date, CDC has also released more than 40 videos and 25 web resources in American Sign Language (ASL) on COVID-19.
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September 3, 2021
CDC announces an additional $300 million in funding for community health worker services to support COVID-19 prevention and control.
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January 1, 2022
As Delta and Omicron spread, New York state records its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day since the pandemic began – with 114,082 new confirmed cases.
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January 3, 2022
The U.S. reports nearly 1 million new COVID-19 infections– the highest daily total of any country in the world. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50% in just one week.
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May 3, 2022
CDC recommends that everyone continue to wear a mask while in indoor transportation hubs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – but this is no longer legally enforceable.
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May 5, 2022
WHO estimates that there have been approximately 15 million direct or indirect deaths (also called “excess mortality”) globally from January 2020 – December 2021 that were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. South-East Asia, Europe, and the Americas accounted for 84% of the excess deaths.
Mar 11, 2024 · The FDA authorizes a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 60 and older and certain immunocompromised groups. May 12, 2022. COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. surpass 1 million. President Biden orders flags to be flown at half-staff. May 17, 2022
The timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic lists the articles containing the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Timeline of COVID-19 policies, cases, and deaths in your state. A look at how social distancing measures may have influenced trends in COVID-19 cases and deaths. New Cases of COVID-19 in US States.
Dec 15, 2022 · In 2022, COVID-19 illness was less severe and less deadly compared to 2020 and 2021, and no new variant has emerged with the capacity to fuel a major wave of cases. Contributing factors to these positive developments: Unprecedented advances in vaccine technology that allow for rapid updates to protect against new strains.
Dec 8, 2021. An author has explored some of the most significant COVID-19 milestones. Image: Vladimir Fedotov. Kate Whiting. Senior Writer,Forum Agenda. Johnny Wood . Writer,Forum Agenda. Share: Our Impact. What's the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate action on Health and Healthcare Systems? The Big Picture.
