January 2020

In an attempt to help myself better understand how the coronavirus pandemic spread so quickly, I began researching and fact checking related news. A timeline published by Aljazeera is the foundation of this blog, along with a variety of additional sources and personal observations. 


It was reported in April 2020 that US intelligence warned in November 2019 coronavirus spreading in China could be "cataclysmic event." NCMI director refuted this claim. 


31 Dec 2019: China alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) of several cases of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan, a port city of 11 million people in the central Hubei province. The virus was unknown. Several of those infected worked at the city's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

01 Jan 2020: Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was shut down.

05 Jan 2020: Chinese officials ruled out the possibility that this was a recurrence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, an illness that originated in China and killed more than 770 people worldwide 2002-2003.

07 Jan 2020: Officials announced the identification of a new virus named 2019-nCoV, identified as belonging to the coronavirus family, which includes SARS and the common cold. Coronaviruses are common and spread through being in proximity to an infected person and inhaling droplets generated when they cough or sneeze, or touching a surface where these droplets land and then touching one's face or nose.

11 Jan 2020: China announced its first death from the virus, a 61-year-old man who had purchased goods from the seafood market. Treatment did not improve his symptoms after he was admitted to hospital and he died of heart failure on the evening of January 9. 

This is my husband Greg’s 50^th birthday. He insists he doesn’t want a party though he agrees to a family dinner. Dorsett party of 10 meet at Vincenzo’s, a cozy Italian restaurant. It’s wonderful to see everyone. I am not aware of the virus and it is not a topic of conversation tonight.

13 Jan 2020: WHO reported a case in Thailand, the first outside of China, in a woman who had arrived from Wuhan.

16 Jan 2020: Japan's health ministry reported a confirmed case in a man who had also visited Wuhan.

17 Jan 2020: A second death was reported in Wuhan. Health authorities in the US announced three airports would start screening passengers arriving from the city. WHO published a protocol from German researchers with instructions necessary for any country to manufacture coronavirus tests. Top US health official said the Center for Disease Control (CDC) had developed an early version of its own test, not relying on any protocols published by WHO.

Authorities in the United States, Nepal, France, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan confirmed cases over the following days.

20 Jan 2020: China reported a third death and more than 200 infections, with cases also reported outside Hubei province including in the capital Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Meanwhile, a Chinese expert on infectious diseases confirmed human-to-human transmission to state broadcaster CCTV, raising fears of a major outbreak as millions travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday. Asian countries ramped up measures to block the spread of the virus, introducing mandatory screenings at airports of all arrivals from high-risk areas of China.

22 Jan 2020: The death toll in China jumped to 17 with more than 550 infections. Many European airports stepped up checks on flights from Wuhan.

TRUMP: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.” 

23 Jan 2020: Wuhan was placed under effective quarantine as air and rail departures were suspended. The same measures were announced for two more cities in Hubei province: Xiantao and Chibi. Beijing cancelled events for the Lunar New Year, starting on January 25, while officials reported the first death outside Hubei.   WHO said the outbreak did not yet constitute a public emergency of international concern and there was "no evidence" of the virus spreading between humans outside of China.

24 Jan 2020: The death toll in China stood at 26, with the government reporting more than 830 infections. The number of cities under lockdown in Hubei rose to 13, affecting 41 million people. Shanghai Disneyland shut down and other cities announced the closure of entertainment venues. Beijing said a section of the Great Wall and other famous landmarks would also be closed.

25 Jan 2020: Travel restrictions were imposed on a further five cities in Hubei, taking the overall number of people affected to 56 million. Hong Kong meanwhile declared a virus emergency, cancelled Lunar New Year celebrations and restricted links to mainland China.

26 Jan 2020: Death toll rose to 56, with almost 2,000 cases confirmed as travel restrictions were increased and Hong Kong closed its Disneyland and Ocean Park theme parks. New cases were confirmed in the US, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

27 Jan 2020: Death toll rose to 106, with 100 in Hubei province. Another 4,515 people in China were reported to be infected. 2,714 confirmed cases in Hubei province, up from 1,423 the day before.

30 Jan 2020: WHO declared coronavirus a global emergency as the death toll in China jumped to 170, with 7,711 cases reported in the country, where the virus had spread to all 31 provinces. India and the Philippines confirmed their first cases of the virus, with one infected patient in each country.

31 Jan 2020: Number of confirmed cases in China jumped to 9,809. Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom confirmed their first cases of the virus. 

SOURCES:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/timeline-china-coronavirus-spread-200126061554884.html

Al Jazeera is rated left-center biased, based on story selection that slightly favors the left and mixed for factual reporting due to failed fact checks that were not corrected and misleading extreme editorial bias that favors Qatar. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/al-jazeera/