End of Watch: Troy Police Sergeant Valiantly Battled COVID-19

Li Wenliang, a doctor working at Wuhan Central Hospital in Wuhan, China, sent out a text to a group of other doctors warning them to protect themselves against a new respiratory virus. Four days later, police summoned him and told him to sign a letter accusing him of false comments and disturbing the social order. Li died of the virus on Feb. 7.

In the meantime, the government of Wuhan did in fact confirm that its health authorities were treating dozens of cases of pneumonia from an unknown origin. Several of the infected people worked at Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. Wuhan is a city of 11 million people in China’s Hubei province and had become the start and center of a new epidemic.

The World Health Organization got involved and began tracking the situation in Wuhan. By the next day, the WHO issued its first publication on the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, reporting on the status of patients and the response of public health officials. The organization issued its first guidance on the virus on Jan. 10.

The first known death from the virus was reported by the Chinese state media. The victim was a 61-year-old man who was a regular customer at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and had underlying issues including “abdominal tumors and chronic liver disease.”

The first case outside of China was confirmed Jan. 13 in Thailand. Within the week, cases were found in Japan, South Korea, and—on Jan. 20—the United States. The first American case was in Washington State where a man in his 30s developed symptoms after a trip to Wuhan.

You may also like: Space discoveries from the year you were born

By Jan. 23, 17 people in China were dead and more than 570 were infected. In response, the Chinese government locked down Wuhan to prevent further spread of the virus. Planes and trains in and out of the city were canceled while all bus, ferry, and subway service within the city was suspended.

By Jan. 30, 9,800 people had been infected and 213 died around the world; the WHO declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” The next day, the administration of President Donald Trump suspended entry into the United States for anyone who had traveled to China in the past 14 days who wasn’t an American citizen, family of an American citizen, or a permanent resident.

This first death reported outside of China was a 44-year-old man in the Philippines. He had traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan. By this point, more than 360 people died from the virus.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship became quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, after passengers became ill. Officials began testing passengers and, by Feb. 13, there were 218 confirmed cases on board—the largest number of positives outside China.

The WHO gave the disease caused by the novel coronavirus a new name: COVID-19. It was was chosen because it did not refer to a geographical area, animal, or group of people and because it was relatively easy to pronounce. The WHO wanted to “guard against the use of other names that might be inaccurate or stigmatizing.”

You may also like: Major cities most at risk of rising sea levels

The first COVID-19 death in Europe took place in Paris. The victim was an 80-year-old Chinese tourist and it was the first death outside of Asia. On the same day, Egypt became the first African country to report a case.

Iran reported there were two coronavirus cases in the country and that both had resulted in the patients’ deaths. The source of the virus in Iran is not known. One day later, on Feb. 20, the WHO reported the number of global cases to be roughly 75,000.

By Feb. 23, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy had grown from five to more than 150. The Lombardy region in the north of the country was the hardest hit, and officials locked down 10 towns in the area, closing schools and canceling events.

A 61-year-old man from São Paulo, Brazil, who had recently returned from Italy tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, more and more cases were reported in Europe. Two days later, other countries with reported infections were Belarus, England, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and Wales.

By Feb. 28, there were more and more cases reported in Europe. At this time, 800 patients had been confirmed infected in Italy, and cases in 14 other countries could be traced back to Italy as well. On the same day, the United States confirmed its first COVID-19 death in Seattle.

You may also like: 54 American cities with dangerous ozone conditions

By March 7, COVID-19 had killed nearly 3,500 people and infected 102,000 in more than 90 countries. Iran became one of the worst situations totaling 4,747 cases and 124 deaths.

In response to the quick spread of COVID-19, the WHO declares the outbreak to be a global pandemic. In a briefing, WHO director-general said, “We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus.”

As the epicenter of the virus shifted from China to Europe, President Trump made an announcement saying he would block all travelers from European countries except Britain for 30 days. He walked the statement back a few hours later, saying that this would not apply to U.S. citizens, residents, or their spouses, but not before many travelers had spent thousands on tickets to return home.

President Trump declared a national emergency and said he would make $50 billion available to states and territories to fight COVID-19. By this time, the global death toll had passed 4,600 and there were 126,100 confirmed infections worldwide.

In response to the virus’ quick spread, some Western European countries began to shut down nonessential businesses. In Spain, which had the second-highest death rate in Europe after Italy, residents could only leave home to buy essential supplies or to work. In France, cafes, restaurants, bars, shops, and cinemas were closed.

You may also like: 25 endangered animals that only live in America

China reported no new local infections, a signal that China’s epidemic could be winding down. However, although no new local infections were recorded, there were 34 new infections confirmed among patients who had traveled to China from elsewhere. On the same day, Italy overtook China as the country with the most deaths worldwide.

Confirmed deaths from COVID-19 exceeded 10,000 worldwide. Cases began to rise exponentially, for example, from 2,958 to 13,957 overnight in Germany. China had a second day with no new domestic cases reported.

While the United Kingdom had initially considered a “herd immunity” approach to COVID-19, the country eventually decided to follow the lead of the rest of Europe and close all non-essential stores, ban meetings of more than two people, and require people to stay at home except to buy food or medicine.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown. At the time, the number of cases reported in the country of 1.3 billion people was around 500. Some migrant workers were forced to walk hundreds of miles back to their homes.

It was announced that the Tokyo Summer Olympics would be postponed for one year in response to COVID-19. This was the first time Olympic games have been canceled since World War II. Only three games have been canceled since the beginning of the Olympics, all due to wars.

You may also like: 50 fall flowers that bloom in October

After negotiations, the White House and Congress came to an agreement on a $2 trillion aid plan to help businesses, workers, and the health care system. The plan passed the Senate in a unanimous 96–0 vote.

It was reported that a record 3.3 million people in the United States filed for unemployment the previous week. This was a rise of more than 3 million from the previous week, which saw unemployment claims by just 281,000 people. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said unemployment could reach 20% due to COVID-19.

Over 500,000 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed around the world. In Europe, the number of cases exceeded 250,000, more than half of which were in Italy and Spain. Italy’s death toll reached 8,215.

With 82,000 known cases, the United States officially had more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than any other country in the world. New York state was hit especially hard, with half of the total cases nationwide. New York City alone had 23,000 cases and 365 deaths.

In response to the country’s rapidly growing numbers, the local governments of the United States put roughly half the population under some kind of lockdown. Twenty-three states issued stay-at-home orders and 10 other states and territories ordered nonessential businesses to close.