Coronavirus Timeline From the Aspects of Geography, Chinese Containment Measures, and International Aid
By mchen.0701
-
Period: to
First Cases in Wuhan
The first patient who had the 2019-nCOV experienced symptoms on December 1, 2019. By December 31, there were a total of 27 suspected cases with "unexplained pneumonia". Read more here. The investigation discovered that most of the cases were in South China City in Jianghan District, Wuhan. -
First Confirmed Case Outside of China: Thailand
The first confirmed case outside of China was a 61-year-old Chinese woman who resided in Wuhan. She arrived in Thailand on January 8, 2020, and was laboratory-confirmed on January 13, 2020. Click here to learn more. -
Period: to
China Installs Infrared Thermometers
China has installed at least 35 infrared thermometers in airports, long-distance bus stations, ferry terminals, and railway stations; the purpose is to screen people for fevers, which is one of the symptoms of the virus. -
First Confirmed Cases In China, Outside of Wuhan: Guangdong and Beijing
There were two confirmed cases in Guangdong and one confirmed case in Beijing; the previous cases had all previously traveled to Wuhan. By January 19, a confirmed case had also appeared in Japan. -
First Confirmed Case in the United States
A man from Washington state returned to the United States on January 15, 2020 after a trip to Wuhan; he was asymptomatic when he arrived at the airport, and the expanded screenings for infections had not yet been instituted. He was laboratory-confirmed to have the 2019-nCOV on January 21. By January 21, there have also been confirmed cases in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. -
Spread to Most Mainland Chinese Provinces
The 2019-nCOV virus has spread to most mainland Chinese provinces, with the exception of five: Jilin, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Tibet. -
Lockdown in Wuhan and Other Hubei Cities
The Chinese government imposed a lockdown on Wuhan; all public transport services were suspended and people were not allowed to enter or exit the city without permission from the authorities. Public transportation in neighboring cities, Huanggang and Ezhou, were also shut down. 12 other cities in Hubei were placed under travel restrictions. Click here to read about life inside Wuhan's lockdown. -
Period: to
Construction of the Huoshenshan Hospital
Construction for the Huoshenshan Hospital, a hospital meant to isolate patients with 2019-nCOV, began on January 23. The hospital, designed to accommodate 1000 patients, is located in Caidian District, Wuhan, Hubei. Construction of the hospital finished on February 2, and the hospital began accepting patients on February 3. Click here to watch a timelapse of the construction. -
First Occurrence in the European Union
The Health Minister of France confirmed three cases, the first in the EU. One of the patients was a Chinese man who had just returned from China, where he was in contact with people from Wuhan. In addition, the first human-to-human transmission outside of China occurred in Vietnam. By January 24, cases have been reported in Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and Nepal. -
Spread to Australia
The 2019-nCOV has now spread to four continents, as four cases were confirmed in Australia. One case, a Chinese national, arrived in Melbourne after staying in Wuhan. The three other confirmed cases were all men in New South Wales. By January 25, confirmed cases were also reported in Canada and Malaysia. -
Period: to
Construction of the Leishenshan Hospital
The Wuhan municipal government announced the construction of a second hospital, which will have 1300 beds, on January 25. The hospital is located in the Jiangxia District of Wuhan. The construction of the hospital was completed on February 6, and patients were admitted to the hospital on February 8. Click here to see photos of the hospital under construction. -
Gates Foundation Donates $10 Million
On January 26, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that they will donate $5 million to China and $5 million to Africa to contain the spread of 2019-nCOV. On February 5, they dedicated additional funding for a total of $100 million. Read more here. -
Japan Sends Supplies
Japan sent a chartered plane to Wuhan to evacuate Japanese nationals trapped in the lockdown, and their plane also functioned to deliver masks, protective suits, and other supplies. Read more here. A Chinese source reported that the plane brought a million masks. -
City of Pittsburgh Sends Aid
Pittsburgh's mayor, Bill Peduto, has stated that they will be sending aid to their sister city of Wuhan. They plan to send materials that would aid the first responders/doctors as well as protect the residents of Wuhan. Read more here. -
-
Extension of the Lunar New Year Holiday
The General Office of the State Council of China declared a nationwide extension of the Lunar New Year holiday and the postponement of the spring semester. The Lunar New Year holiday was extended to February 2 from the original January 30. In the days after, individual provinces began to delay the resumption of work until February 9 or later. -
Period: to
Various Japanese Cities Send Aid to Their Chinese Sister Cities
On January 27, the Japanese city of Oita sent 30,000 masks to its sister city of Wuhan; the boxes had uplifting messages of "Wuhan, Jiayou!" on them. On January 28, the city of Mito, Japan, sent 50,000 masks to Chongqing, its sister city. On February 6, the Japanese city of Okayama sent their 22,000 masks to their own sister city of Luoyang. -
Confirmed Cases in all Chinese Provinces, 2019-nCOV Enters the Middle East
2019-nCOV has spread to all Chinese provinces; Tibet was the last province to have a confirmed case. The virus has also entered the Middle East, with the first confirmed case being in the United Arab Emirates. A Chinese family of four traveling in the UAE were laboratory-confirmed to have 2019-nCOV. By January 29th, Cambodia, Germany, Sri Lanka, Finland have also reported confirmed cases. -
Malaysia Donates Medical Gloves
Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok announced that the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council and glove manufacturers will be donating 18 million gloves to Wuhan. Read more here. -
Germany Donates Hazmat Suits
A German Air Force plane arrived in Wuhan to evacuate Germans and other nationals; at the same time, it also delivered 10,000 Hazmat suits to health responders in Wuhan. -
Turkey Donates Medical Equipment
A Turkish cargo plane was sent to Wuhan to evacuate nationals of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Albania, and Georgia; the plane also delivered medical equipment during its trip to Wuhan. -
Implementation of Outdoor Restrictions
Huanggang, Hubei, implemented outdoor restrictions in which only one person from each household is permitted to go outside once every two days. The only exception is for people who are buying medicine or going to work at a hospital/pharmacy. Wenzhou implemented the same measures the day after; multiple other cities and districts soon followed. The Chinese article is here. -
2019-nCOV on Cruise Ship
There have been 10 confirmed cases on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which has about 3,500 passengers and crew. The cruise ship is anchored off the coast of Yokohama, Japan. Authorities are asking passengers to remain on the boat for at least 14 days. By February 4, confirmed cases have also appeared in India, Philippines, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdon, and Belgium. -
Other International Aid
A foreign ministry spokesperson said that China has received aid from 21 countries (that are not listed as specific timeline events): the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Britain, France, Italy, Hungary, Belarus, Iran, the UAE, Algeria, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, and Trinidad and Tobago. -
Wuhan Orders Residents to Report Temperatures
The city of Wuhan has asked its residents to report their body temperatures on a daily basis because fever is one of the main symptoms of 2019-nCOV. Body temperatures can be submitted through the phone, social media apps, and through other means. If residents report abnormal body temperatures, a team will be sent to investigate. Read more here. -
Wuhan Officials Screen Residents
On Saturday, Wuhan officials screened more than 10 million residents after visiting more than 4 million homes. The government is attempting to identify and isolate anyone who might have 2019-nCOV. During these checks, they found 1499 patients in their homes and have arranged for them to receive treatment at different hospitals. Read more here. -
Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Donates
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan has announced that it will deduce 5000 yen from each parliamentarian's March salary to donate a total of 2 million yen to China. Read more here. Overall, Japan has been very supportive of China throughout this epidemic.
