Liberty Nation believes in giving the reader as much information as possible. As such, we present a comprehensive timeline regarding the Coronavirus.
The Coronavirus Timeline
November 2019
Nov. 17: According to the South China Post, documents from the Chinese government suggested a man had contracted Coronavirus.
December 2019
Dec. 16: The first patient with what would later be named COVID-19 was seen at Wuhan Central Hospital, according to Dr. Ai Fen.
Dec. 21: Dr. Ai Fen said Chinese doctors started tracking “a cluster of pneumonia cases with an unknown cause” and that these instances “occurred in Wuhan.”
Dec. 27: Wuhan Central Hospital took in another patient with COVID-19 symptoms.
Dec. 28: Seven new cases reported at Wuhan Central Hospital; four of those were connected to the wet market.
Dec. 29: Dr. Ai Fen notified hospital leaders about the virus, and the hospital warned China’s CDC.
Dec. 30: Dr. Ai Fen received lab results indicating a SARS-like virus and sent the information to Dr. Li Wenliang, who used WeChat that afternoon to post a warning about “confirmed SARS-like cases from the wet market,” adding that the hospital had “quarantines.” The Wuhan Health Commission sent warning notices to hospitals in the area about a “pneumonia of unclear cause.” Dr. Ai was reprimanded for “spreading rumors,” and Dr. Li was disciplined for the “negative impact” of his warnings.
Dec. 31: More than two dozen cases of Coronavirus were confirmed by Wuhan health authorities. Local wet markets were closed, and China informed WHO about the “pneumonia” but said it had “found no obvious person-to-person transmission, and no medical personnel have been infected.” By this time, however, several medical personnel had reportedly been infected. Also, Taiwan sent WHO an alert, claiming it was possible for the disease to transfer from human to human.
January 2020
Jan. 1: The New York Times used cellphone data to discover that 175,000 people left Wuhan (seven million more over the next few weeks). The Straits Times said the Hubei Provincial Health Commission ordered at least one company to stop testing virus samples and to destroy them.
Jan. 2: A study by The Lancet revealed that, of 41 patients admitted with Coronavirus, only 27 were linked to the wet market. The Wuhan Institute of Virology identified the novel coronavirus, but the information was not released for another week.
Jan. 3: The Wuhan Public Security Bureau questioned whistleblowers, including Dr. Ai Fen, and, according to The Washington Post, forced them to sign confession letters admitting their “false comments” had “severely disturbed the social order.” The country’s National Health Commission banned all Chinese research related to an “unknown disease” from being published and ordered the institutions to destroy the samples or send them to state-approved testing sites.
Jan. 4: On social media, WHO said there was a cluster of pneumonia cases, but there were no deaths, in Wuhan, Hubei province.
Jan. 5 –17: Amazingly, there were no new reported COVID-19 cases in China.
Jan. 6: U.S. health experts offered to go to China to address the disease, but China rejected the idea. Alex Azar, the secretary of Health and Human Services, said, “We made the offer to send the CDC experts in to assist their Chinese colleagues to get to the bottom of key specific questions like: How transmissible is this disease? What is the severity? What is the incubation period, and can there be asymptomatic transmission?” A WHO team didn’t go to China until mid-February. Dr. Fauci began interviews to discuss the Coronavirus outbreak.
Jan. 10: Dr. Li Wenliang became ill with symptoms of the virus and was hospitalized two days later.
Jan. 13: The first case of COVID-19 outside of China was reported in Thailand. WHO confirmed the female victim had not been to the wet market.
Jan. 14: WHO tweeted that “preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission” of Coronavirus. The Associated Press uncovered a memo on a secret teleconference among Chinese health authorities held by Ma Xiaowei, the head of China’s National Health Commission, who said that “the epidemic situation is still severe and complex [and] is likely to develop into a major public health event.” The memo also stated that “with the coming of the Spring Festival, many people will be traveling, and the risk of transmission and spread is high,” and “all localities must prepare for and respond to a pandemic.”
Jan. 15: First U.S. case of Coronavirus in a patient who had traveled from Wuhan to Washington State.
Jan. 17: The CDC started public health screening at San Francisco, New York JFK, and Los Angeles airports, which received the most travelers from Wuhan.
Jan. 18: Wuhan’s annual Lunar New Year banquet began, which drew 40,000 families for a huge potluck.
Jan. 20: President Xi Jingpin issued the first public statement about the virus, saying it “must be taken seriously.” Dr. Zhong Nanshan announced on television that the Chinese government had known for days and more than likely weeks that the virus was transmissible from person to person. South Korea confirmed its first case.
Jan. 20: Fauci announced a Coronavirus vaccine was already being worked on by the National Institutes of Health.
Jan 21: In an interview, Greg Kelly of Newsmax asked Fauci how serious the virus was. The doctor urged everyone to take the precautions that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out, “but this is not a major threat for the people in the United States, and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about.”
Jan. 23: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voted against declaring the outbreak a public health emergency on an international level; he was the deciding vote. Wuhan lockdown went into effect, but by this time an estimated five million people had already traveled through and left the city for other parts of the country and world.
Jan. 24: The Chinese Lunar New Year, a week-long celebration, began, which meant thousands, and perhaps millions, of people traveled across China.
Jan. 28: A Health and Human Services (HHS) press briefing included Fauci, Director of the CDC Robert Redfield, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Nancy Messonnier, and Secretary of HHS Alex Azar. Azar warned that “Americans should know that this is a potentially very serious public health threat.”
Jan. 29: The White House announced a new task force to monitor and contain the spread of the virus.
Jan. 30: Dr. Li Wenliang tested positive for Coronavirus.
Jan. 31: President Donald Trump imposed travel restrictions to and from China. The Department of Homeland Security started funneling flights from China into seven U.S. airports.
For more analysis on what took place through January, click here.
February 2020
Feb. 3: China’s Foreign Ministry accused U.S. of spreading fear about the outbreak by restricting travel.
Feb. 4: The Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama Bay, Japan, had ten confirmed patients with Coronavirus. It carried more than 3,700 people and was placed under quarantine, scheduled to end on Feb. 19.
Feb. 6: CDC started shipping their test kits to U.S. and international labs.
Feb. 7: Dr. Li Wenliang died from the virus.
Feb. 8: Dr. Fauci said the risk of contracting the virus is “minuscule.”
Feb. 9: The White House Coronavirus Task Force briefed governors.
Feb. 10: Royal Caribbean cruise ship, The Anthem of the Seas, sailed from Bayonne, NJ after being docked for days due to a Coronavirus scare.
Feb. 11: WHO named the virus COVID-19 to avoid stigma (i.e. China virus).
Feb. 12: The U.S. shipped test kits to approximately 30 countries.
Feb. 14: An 80-year-old Chinese tourist became the first death in Europe after dying in a Paris hospital.
Feb. 15: The Communist Party journal, Quishi, published a speech made by Xi on Feb. 3 listing requirements for prevention and spread of COVID-19 from Jan. 7, proving he’d known about it two weeks before coming forward.
Feb. 16: WHO-China Joint Mission spent nine days investigating the Coronavirus outbreak and its origins.
Feb. 17: Fauci told USA Today that wearing a mask is for the infected to protect others. “Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask.”
Feb. 19: 443 passengers left the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship. It was the first of a three-day program to release those who’d tested negative for the virus. At least 621 onboard were infected.
Feb. 20: WHO reported 77,000 COVID-19 cases worldwide.
Feb. 21: Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said U.S. health officials were preparing for the virus to become a pandemic. “We’re not seeing community spread here in the United States, yet,” she said, warning it was likely to eventually happen.
Feb. 24: The Trump administration requested $2.5 billion from Congress to fight the Coronavirus. On the same day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) toured San Francisco’s Chinatown, telling residents to support the neighborhood. “That’s what we’re trying to do today is to say everything is fine here,” she said. “Come because precautions have been taken. The city is on top of the situation.”
Feb. 26: Vice President Mike Pence was put in charge of the Coronavirus response.
Feb. 29: The first Coronavirus death was reported in Kirkland, WA. WHO said that it “continues to advise against the application of travel restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.” Fauci talked to the Today Show about “community spread,” but advised that “right now, at this moment, there is no need to change anything you’re doing on a day-to-day basis.” The Trump administration announced a level 4 travel advisory to Italy and South Korea; barred all travel to Iran and entry of foreign citizens who visited Iran in past 14 days.
March 2020
March 1: WHO said most cases are mild: “Most patients (80%) experienced mild illness. Approximately 14% experienced severe disease & 5% were critically ill.” New York City had first reported case: a 39-year-old health care worker who had traveled from Iran.
March 2: Dr. Fauci said Coronavirus has “now reached outbreak proportions and likely pandemic proportions,” but “I think 2.5% [death rate] is probably a bit high … It’s dangerous to make firm kinds of predictions. I think it likely will be down around 1%, but I’m not sure.”
Update: Approximately 91 cases in the U.S.; Washington state had death toll of six, and six passengers from the Diamond Princess had died.
March 3: U.S. officials approved widespread testing while the CDC lifted restrictions on testing. The virus had infected more than 90,000 globally and killed 3,000 according to WHO. Iran said it will temporarily release 54,000 inmates from prison and announced 23 members of its parliament had tested positive for the virus. President Trump donated his fourth quarter salary to fight Coronavirus.
March 4: Azar said HHS was transferring $35 million to CDC to help state and local communities.
March 5: More than $8 billion was approved by Congress for emergency funding, including $2 billion to the CDC and $3 billion toward developing vaccines, testing, and treatments, and $500 million in waivers for Medicare telehealth restrictions.
March 8: State Department advised against cruise ship travel, especially for those with medical conditions.
March 9: Fauci told reporters that young, healthy people can go on a cruise if they’d like. “If you are a healthy young person, there is no reason if you want to go on a cruise ship, go on a cruise ship.” President Trump called on Congress to pass a payroll tax cut over Coronavirus. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said mostly the elderly are seriously affected, with people 60 and older the most likely to be hospitalized and the average age of death from Coronavirus is 80. CDC said Coronavirus could spread into 2021, but that most people are not expected to have severe cases. Scientists said people with mild cases are not likely contagious after ten days. Testing for COVID-19 available in all 50 states, according to CDC.
March 10: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered a one-mile containment area in New Rochelle.
March 11: WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. By this time, 100 countries had been infected with more than 100,000 confirmed cases.
Trump announced the restricting of travel from Europe to the United States for 30 days. Trump also directed Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue low-interest loans to small businesses and for Congress to increase the fund by $50 billion. The Treasury Department was directed by the president to defer tax payments and to provide $200 billion in “additional liquidity.” NBA suspended the season, actor Tom Hanks tested positive for Coronavirus, and Trump shut down European travel with a 30-day ban, except for the United Kingdom.
March 12: Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Canada’s first lady, tested positive for COVID-19. The National Hockey League and Major League Baseball suspended their seasons. Major cultural institutions closed such as the Met Museum, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Opera. Broadway shows were suspended, Disneyland and Disney World closed, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. were canceled.
March 13: President Trump declared a national emergency and freed up $50 million in federal resources. Drive-through testing sites established, interest payments on federal student loans paused, and CDC estimated up to 214 million Americans will be infected with the virus and up to 1.7 million could die.
March 14: The Coronavirus Relief Bill passed the House of Representatives and the Trump administration extended the travel ban to the U.K. and Ireland. The president tested negative for the virus.
March 15: CDC recommended gatherings of no more than 50 people in the U.S. Google announced with the Trump administration plans to develop a website which would provide information on Coronavirus prevention and resources.
March 16: Trump issued guidelines for social distancing of no more than 10 people for the next 15 days, limited travel, and admitted the country may be headed toward a recession. Stock market crashed and dropped nearly 3,000 points, the worst day since Black Monday in 1987. The first vaccine trials began in Seattle, WA.
March 17: President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to direct industries to produce critical equipment. A New England Journal of Medicine study found that the virus could be detected up to three hours in the air, four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. Relevant Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act penalties will not be enforced, the Army Corps of Engineers put on standby, a partnership formed between USDA, Baylor University, McLande Global, and Pepsi Co. to provide one million meals per week to rural children, the Treasury Department contributed $10 billion to the Federal Reserve’s commercial paper funding facility, and the administration deferred $300 billion in tax payments for 90 days without penalty, up to $1 million for individuals and $10 million for businesses.
March 18: Trump signed Coronavirus relief package, including free testing for COVID-19 and paid emergency leave, then announced the closure of U.S.-Canada border, that the U.S. Navy will deploy USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy hospital ships, foreclosures and evictions are suspended, and that doctors are allowed to practice across state lines.
March 19: Trump suggested promising results from anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine, Carnival Cruise lines will make ships available to use as hospitals. China reported no new local infections. The State Department advised Americans not to travel abroad and if they do, they are to be “prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period.”
March 20: U.S. and Mexico agreed to restrict cross-border traffic. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced tax day moved from April 15 to July 15. CDC will invoke Title 42 to provide border patrol with ability to secure the borders. Azar announced CDC suspending all illegal entries to the country for public health threat.
March 21: In New York, 50% of residents tested positive in the Presbyterian Hospital.
March 22: Trump confirmed efforts to return Americans stranded in Peru and Honduras and announced USNS Mercy will be deployed to Los Angeles, CA. FEMA set guidance for tribal governments to seek federal assistance. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) tested positive for COVID-19.
March 23: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire to fight “the common enemy.” Trump signed executive order to prohibit hoarding of medical supplies. This is the third day the Senate has been deadlocked on a stimulus bill. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) husband was hospitalized with Coronavirus. Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were in self-quarantine. Trump wanted to loosen lockdown restrictions saying, “We can’t let the cure be worse than the problem itself.” U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced three-week lockdown.
March 24: Dr. Deborah Birx said the U.S. has conducted more Coronavirus tests in the last week than South Korea over eight weeks. U.S. Army issued three hospital professionals to New York and Washington state. The Olympics were postponed.
March 25: The White House and Senate leaders reached a $2 trillion stimulus deal, Trump signed a bill reauthorizing the Older Americans Act, Prince Charles had Coronavirus, and workers in ten Amazon distribution centers tested positive for Coronavirus.
March 26: In an article for The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Fauci said, “… the overall clinical consequences of COVID-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively.” The U.S. unemployment claims hit more than 3.2 million, almost four times the record set during the 2008 recession. The United States had more recorded Coronavirus cases than any other country.
March 27: Trump signed the stimulus package into law and ordered his administration to use the Defense Production Act to force General Motors to expedite government contracts to build ventilators. Trump announced that Boeing offered the use of three “Dreamlifter” cargo air crafts to transport medical supplies. FEMA, CDC, Apple, and the White House released an app which allows users to screen for their symptoms. President Trump signed a $2 trillion U.S. stimulus bill which included a $1,200 check to Americans as well as an expansion of unemployment insurance.
March 28: CDC issued a travel advisory for the New York area for 14 days. Trump considered tri-state quarantine for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Cuomo objected, saying it may be “illegal.”
March 29: Trump extended social distancing guidelines, saying they should stay in place until April 30.
March 30: Azar said the U.S. is currently testing nearly 100,000 samples per day, and Dr. Fauci said another outbreak is likely this fall.
March 31: The Treasury Department and IRS launched the employee retention credit, designed so that businesses would keep employees on their payroll.
April 2020
April 1: The WHO director held a virtual news conference and said, “The number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week. In the next few days we will reach 1 million confirmed cases, and 50,000 deaths.” The Department of Labor posted a temporary rule to provide paid sick and family leave in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
April 2: The number of unemployment claims in the U.S. hit 6.6 million U.S. workers filing for their first week of benefits. The FDA approved the first Coronavirus antibody test, which was developed by Cellex. Secretary Pompeo reported the State Department had brought home 30,000 Americans who had been stranded overseas due to Coronavirus-related travel restrictions.
April 3: President Trump and CDC recommended wearing face masks even when outside. “It’s really going to be a voluntary thing,” Trump said. “I’m not choosing to do it.” Trump signed a presidential memorandum declaring personal protective equipment as “scarce” under the Defense Production Act and announced uninsured Americans will have treatment related to the virus covered under the CARES Act, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said it is making $200 million in Indian housing block grants for tribes under the Act.
April 4: Dr. Birx said, “This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe, and that means everybody doing the six feet distancing, washing your hands.”
April 5: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted to the hospital as a “precautionary step.” Queen Elizabeth II addressed the nation, saying, “Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it. I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.”
April 6: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care with COVID-19. President Trump reportedly had a “very friendly” phone call with Joe Biden about the virus.
April 7: President Trump said the SBA had processed “more than $70 billion” in loans for small businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The State Department said another $225 million would go to help reduce spread of Coronavirus.
April 8: Vice President Pence said $98 billion were disbursed in forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. HHS awarded $1.3 billion from CARES to 1,387 health centers in each state, eight territories, and D.C. The National Academy of Sciences sent a letter to the White House stating, “There is some evidence to suggest that (Coronavirus) may transmit less efficiently in environments with higher ambient temperature and humidity; however, given the lack of host immunity globally, this reduction in transmission efficiency may not lead to a significant reduction in disease spread without the concomitant adoption of major public health interventions.”
April 9: $6.3 billion in CARES Act went to colleges and universities to provide cash grants to students. The USDA gave farmers 12 months to repay marketing assistance loans (MAL). Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council that the pandemic is threatening international peace and security, adding that it could lead to an increase in social unrest and violence. Steven Mnuchin suggested the U.S. economy could reopen in May while Dr. Fauci said “Now is no time to back off,” claiming the virus will determine when the economy would reopen.
April 10: HHS started giving out $30 billion of the $100 billion allocated to health care providers by CARES, $1 billion was given to Amtrak to continue rail service. The Treasury Department launched the web portal for those who did not file tax returns to be able to get relief payments. Dr. Fauci said Americans might need to carry documents to prove they are immune to the virus. “This is something that’s being discussed,” he said. “I think it might actually have some merit.”
April 11: South Korean CDC said approximately 51 patients who recovered from Coronavirus tested positive again. Korean CDC Director General Jeong Eunkyeong said, “There have been many cases when a patient during treatment will test negative one day and positive another.”
April 12: The FBI uncovered Service Employees International Union affiliate attempting to purchase 39 million N95 masks in an international fraud scheme. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from the hospital.
April 14: Present Trump announced the end of funding to WHO for its “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus.” He added, “Other nations and regions who followed WHO guidelines and kept their borders open to China, accelerated the pandemic around the world.” $10 billion in relief was provided for airports through the CARES Act airport grant program. U.S. had most reported COVID-19 deaths in a single day: 2,129.
Update: 605,000 cases in the U.S. with 25,757 deaths.
April 15: Michigan citizens protested stay-at-home orders at the Capitol. Other protests also took place in Kentucky, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. The Department of Labor awarded more than $131 million in grants for dislocated workers.
April 16: The White House issued guidelines for states to reopen. Approximately 14% of the U.S. workforce had filed for unemployment in the past month.
April 17: Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a $19 billion relief package for farmers and ranchers. Trump approved major disaster declaration for American Samoa – now disaster declarations have been approved in all U.S. states and territories for the first time in history.
April 19: Chile issued immunity cards to those who had recovered from COVID-19.
April 20: VP Pence said all 50 states are “ready right now to enter phase one” if they meet the president’s opening up America guidelines because of the current testing capacity. HHS partnered with Oracle for an online platform that will collect crowd-sourced data on potential Coronavirus therapies. VP Pence said the CDC is sending teams of ten to 12 experts to all states to assist in contact tracing. HHS announced $110 million in grants for mental illness and substance abuse patients. Trump tweeted about the halt to immigration: “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” The Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike blatantly explained during a late April health briefing how COVID deaths are being counted:
“If you were in hospice and had already been given a few weeks to live, and then you also were found to have COVID, that would be counted as a COVID death. It means technically even if you died of a clear alternate cause, but you had COVID at the same time, it’s still listed as a COVID death. So, everyone who’s listed as a COVID death doesn’t mean that that was the cause of the death, but they had COVID at the time of death.”
April 21: LabCorp in North Carolina received FDA approval for home-testing kits. The Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act provided an additional $382 billion for the PPP, $75 billion for hospitals, and $25 billion for Coronavirus testing. Trump officially announced plans to suspend immigration for 60 days.
April 22: Trump signed an executive order restricting green cards for 60 days to protect American jobs. HHS awarded about $165 million for rural communities to 1,779 small hospitals and 14 HRSA-Funded telehealth resource centers. The House approved $484 billion legislation that provided funding for hospitals overwhelmed during the crisis; $320 billion went for small businesses in the Paycheck Protection Program.
April 23: Acting DHS Undersecretary for Science & Technology William Bryan announced a study that indicated heat, humidity, and UV rays can slow and kill the Coronavirus. President Trump caught flack for his comment: “I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. Is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs?”
April 24: The VA said hiring increased 37% during the first two weeks of April. The DOJ prohibited a Dallas health center from fraudulently promoting “ozone therapy” as a legitimate COVID-19 treatment. The European Union softened its criticism of China about the Coronavirus pandemic, rewriting and diluting its report. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that the U.K. will host a “Global Vaccines Summit” on June 4.
April 27: Tyson Foods chairman warned of “meat shortages” due to a breakdown in the food supply chain. Ghebreyesus of WHO said, “the pandemic is far from over.”
April 28: Dr. Fauci said he is hopeful that a vaccine will be developed by the winter. Winston, a pug dog from North Carolina, tested positive for COVID-19.
April 30: Fauci said he is “almost certain” the virus will return in the winter, yet he is optimistic for a vaccine. Trump’s federal social distancing guidelines expired.
May 2020
May 1: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo started referring to COVID-19 as the “European virus.” The FDA authorized emergency use of the drug Remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment. With temperatures in the 90s, New York put more than 1,000 police officers on the streets to encourage social distancing.
May 3: Countries lash out at China. Australia called for an inquiry into the origins of the virus. Britain and Germany questioned using the Chinese tech giant Huawei, and Trump blamed China for the outbreak.
May 6: Trump talked shifting focus of pandemic to reviving business and social life. Pompeo blamed China for deaths from the virus and demanded the nation share information about the outbreak. Deborah Birx, said she doesn’t trust the CDC’s reporting and thinks the death numbers may be inflated by up to 25%. Poland delayed its presidential election. New York City’s subway began closing between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. to allow for crews to disinfect the cars.
May 7: Medical experts advised against getting antibody tests, which may give people “a false sense of security.”
May 8: Unemployment hit 14.7% with 20.5 million jobs lost in April.
May 9: Three members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in quarantine: Dr. Fauci, Dr. Robert Redfield, and the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn.
May 11: Beijing, China made smart bracelets for students that measure body temperature and send out an alert if an abnormal temperature is detected.
May 12: Dr. Fauci and Dr. Redfield said there would be dire consequences if the U.S. reopened the economy too soon. Fauci also changed his tune on his hopes for a treatment or vaccine by the fall, calling it “a bridge too far.”
May 13: WHO official Dr. Mike Ryan said the virus may become “just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away.”
May 14: Dr. Rick Bright, formerly the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority after being fired in April, said the U.S. could face “the darkest winter” if there isn’t improvement on the response to the pandemic.
May 16: Barack Obama criticized COVID-19 response while giving a virtual commencement speech to college and university graduates. “This pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”
May 17: Japan and Germany entered recessions. Japan fell for the first time since 2015, its economy shrank by an annualized rate of 3.4% in the first three months of the year. Germany had the worst contraction since the 2008 global financial crisis, shrinking by 2.2% in the first three months.
May 18: President Trump revealed that he had been taking hydroxychloroquine for a “couple of weeks.”
May 21: Dr. Fauci said to enjoy Memorial Day, “it’s a very important holiday. Hopefully, the sun will be out. We’ll be having people who want to get out there and get fresh air. You can do that. We’re not telling people to just lock in unless you’re in a situation where you have a major outbreak going on, we don’t have too much of that right now in the country.” The CDC said said the virus “does not spread easily” off surfaces, as it was first believed.
May 22: Dr. Fauci said that the U.S. staying closed for too long could cause “irreparable damage.”
May 23: Dr. Fauci told Fox40 in a special edition of “Coronavirus House Calls” that “We’re not going to eradicate this virus. It is so transmissible that it’s going to be around for a while.”
May 24: CDC warned that rodents were becoming more aggressive due to restaurant closures.
May 25: WHO’s Ghebreyesus said the organization was going to stop its studies on hydroxychloroquine because a study suggested people taking the drug were at higher risk of death and heart problems. The organization warned of a second peak if restrictions are lifted too soon. Japan ended its state of emergency. There was a total of 851 deaths and the country did not have a lockdown.
May 27: In an interview with CNN, Dr. Fauci said a second wave of COVID-19 is “not inevitable” as long as states open correctly.
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Read more from Kelli Ballard.
