COVID-19 Timeline Project

Prelude <> Nov/Dec 2019 <> January 2020 <> February <> March <> April <> May <> June <> July <> August <> September <> Source Data

January 2020

For January and beyond I’m creating a timeline block for each day. While some days may not actually have a Coronavirus-related event, this offers me the option of adding in new information at a later date.

In reviewing this month’s events, I observe the general trend is slowly dawning awareness around the world that we’re facing a serious medical issue. Some countries were quicker to take preventive measures than others. For the United States, there’s considerable evidence President Trump and select members of Congress were receiving periodic intelligence briefings on the Coronavirus situation.

January

During this month, and the following month of February, President Trump will receive periodic intelligence briefings which trace the spread of the virus, China’s actions in suppressing information, and “raise the prospect of dire political and economic consequences” if the virus spread to the United States. These briefings were presented by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence through the daily report.

A congressional report (published May 13, 2020) details the coronavirus timeline of events of December 2019 to January 2020, including China, the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency’s governing structure and principles, states its main objective as ‘the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip], and US personnel.

Starting January 1 and continuing through March 11, 24 countries including South Korea and Germany ban exports of health care products in a bid to shore up their domestic supply, in anticipation of a potential pandemic.

Number of Countries with Reported Cases: 1

January 1

Wuhan, China, Public Security Bureau summoned eight doctors for posting and spreading “rumors” about Wuhan hospitals receiving SARS-like cases — detentions that were reported on “Xinwen Lianbo,” a newscast watched by tens of millions. Speculation about a SARS-like virus was rampant within medical circles, but the detentions dissuaded many medical professionals from speaking openly about it.

A Chinese official of the Hubei Provincial Health Commission orders a medical lab to stop testing samples from Wuhan related to the new disease and destroy all existing samples.

Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, in Wuhan, China, suspected of being the disease source, is closed.

Countries: 1

January 2

Chinese researchers map the new coronavirus’ complete genetic information. This information is not made public until January 9.

Countries: 1

January 3

China reports a total of 44 patients suspected patients with the mystery disease to [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency’s governing structure and principles, states its main objective as ‘the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip].

China’s [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”National Health Commission” content=”The National Health Commission (NHC) of the People’s Republic of China is a cabinet-level executive department of the State Council which is responsible for formulating health policies in Mainland China.” class=”toolTip”]National Health Commission[/su_tooltip], the nation’s top health authority, orders institutions not to publish any information related to the unknown disease, and orders labs to transfer any samples they had to designated testing institutions, or to destroy them.

Information concerning the virus appears in the President’s daily intelligence briefing for the first time. Officials said it wasn’t clear how closely President Trump read the briefing. No immediate action was taken.

Countries: 1

January 4

A study led by researchers at the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention” content=”The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) is an independent agency of China’s National Health Commission, based in Beijing, China. Established in 1983, it works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and to promote health through partnerships with provincial health departments and other organizations.” class=”toolTip”]Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention[/su_tooltip], and published in the New England Journal of Medicine January 29, reveals long delays for patients to get admitted to hospitals, which led to difficulties in identifying and isolating cases earlier in their illness.

Countries: 1

January 5

Professor Zhang Yongzhen of Fudan University in Shanghai receives biological samples of the new disease packed in dry ice, in metal boxes and shipped by rail from Wuhan Central Hospital for testing. His team also identifies the new, SARS-like coronavirus through using high-throughput sequencing.

Countries: 1

January 6

Prof Zhang reported his findings to the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission as well as China’s [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”National Health Commission” content=”The National Health Commission (NHC) of the People’s Republic of China is a cabinet-level executive department of the State Council which is responsible for formulating health policies in Mainland China.” class=”toolTip”]National Health Commission[/su_tooltip], warning that the new virus was like Sars, and was being transmitted through the respiratory route. This sparked a secondary emergency response within the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention” content=”The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) is an independent agency of China’s National Health Commission, based in Beijing, China. Established in 1983, it works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and to promote health through partnerships with provincial health departments and other organizations.” class=”toolTip”]Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention[/su_tooltip].

The US [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] issues a Level 1 travel notice for Wuhan, amid fears that the virus was spreading beyond its origin.

Countries: 1

January 7

Chinese researchers identify the mystery disease as a new (novel) coronavirus as cause of the outbreak.

The [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] under [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Dr. Robert Redfield” content=”Robert R. Redfield, MD, is the 18th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He has been a public health leader actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic human viral infections and infectious diseases, especially HIV, for more than 30 years.” class=”toolTip”]Dr. Robert Redfield[/su_tooltip] creates an “incident management system” for the coronavirus and advises travelers to Wuhan to take precautions.

Countries: 1

January 7 – 10

More than 170,000 people attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, a four-day event that attracts technology professionals from around the world. Eleven vendors from Wuhan were present. The [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] refers to this as a “[su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Definition” content=”The term Super-spreader refers to a person who spreads a disease to a large number of people. Super-spreading events occur when a single person infects a large number of other people — sometimes 10, 20, sometimes even more in one setting.” class=”toolTip”]Super-spreader[/su_tooltip] Event,” and after-the fact analysis indicates this event may have been responsible for an early spread of the 2019-nCoV virus throughout the world.

January 8

Countries: 1

January 9

China reports their first death linked to the new coronavirus, 2019-nCoV; A 61-year-old male admitted to hospital in Wuhan with several underlying medical conditions.

An expert team led by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention makes a preliminary conclusion that the new disease is caused by a new strain of coronavirus.

Countries: 1

January 10

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, ends.

Countries: 1

January 11

A team run by Professor Zhang Yongzhen of Fudan University in Shanghai became the first to publish the genome sequence of the new virus on public databases Virological.org and GenBank, unveiling its structure to the world for the first time.

Countries: 1

January 11 – 17

An important Communist Party conclave meets in Wuhan. During this time, on each day the Wuhan Health Commission claims there were no new infections or deaths.

January 12

The Chinese [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”National Health Commission” content=”The National Health Commission (NHC) of the People’s Republic of China is a cabinet-level executive department of the State Council which is responsible for formulating health policies in Mainland China.” class=”toolTip”]National Health Commission[/su_tooltip] shares Professor Yongzhen’s virus genomic information with the World Health Organisation.

A submission of the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, “nearly identical” to Dr. Lili Ren’s submission on December 28, 2019, is published on GenBank, one day after the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency’s governing structure and principles, states its main objective as ‘the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip] said it had received the sequence from China.

Countries: 1

January 13

An article (published December 7, 2020) reveals that what became the most promising vaccine, Moderna’s mRNA-1273, which reported a 94.5 percent efficacy rate, is effectively designed. The Moderna vaccine design took all of one weekend in Moderna’s Massachusetts lab. From this date until an [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”An Emergency Use Authorization in the United States is an authority granted to the Food and Drug Administration under sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as added to and amended by various Acts of Congress, including by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013.” class=”toolTip”]EUA[/su_tooltip] was issued by the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”FDA – The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments.” class=”toolTip”]FDA[/su_tooltip] Dec 18, 2020, the vaccine is in test phase.

Countries: 2

Mid-January

Over a dozen American officials at the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”WHO – World Health Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip], who are working on 2019-nCoV, raise an alarm to President Trump’s administration of the potential danger of a new pandemic.

January 14

Countries: 2

January 15

The first U.S. patient with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection returns to the United States from Wuhan.

The White House hosts a Chinese delegation for the signing ceremony of President Trump’s trade deal. More than 200 people are invited to the White House to witness the signing, including members of the Cabinet and American business leaders. None of the Chinese delegates who attend are tested for the virus, and none of the guests, crammed elbow-to-elbow, wear masks.

Countries: 3

January 16

Articles of Impeachment against President Trump are submitted to the Senate, initiating a senate trial to determine if President Trump should be removed from office.

Countries: 3

January 17

The [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] begins implementing public health entry screening at San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK), and Los Angeles (LAX) airports. Later this week the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] adds entry health screening at two more airports – Atlanta (ATL) and Chicago (ORD).

The Chinese Communist Party conclave in Wuhan ends.

The [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”WHO – World Health Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip] publishes a protocol from German researchers with the instructions necessary for any country to manufacture coronavirus tests. A top US health official states the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] has developed an early version of its own test and will not rely on any protocols published by the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”WHO – World Health Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip]. No discussions occurred between [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”WHO – World Health Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip] and the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] about providing tests to the United States.

Countries: 3

January 18

At 10 minutes after midnight the Wuhan Health Commission announces the existence of four new infections. Chinese officials continue to downplay the risk of human-to-human transmission of 2019-nCoV.

40,000 families in a Wuhan community gather to share their home-cooked food in a Lunar New Year banquet. The Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang explains that the annual event was given the greenlight despite the risks involved, as the decision was made “based on the judgment that human-to-human transmission was limited”.

Countries: 3

January 19

Countries: 3

January 20

Global Cases: 282 | Global Deaths: 6 | Countries: 4

January 21

China confirmed 291 cases of 2019-nCoV infection, including 270 in Hubei. Mayor Zhou also reveals that six Wuhan residents have died after catching the virus.

Aware of widespread skepticism, Beijing moves to assure the international community and the public that it will not tolerate any cover up or withholding of sensitive information about the outbreak. The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission – Beijing’s top political body responsible for law and order – publishes a social media commentary telling Communist Party officials not to forget the painful lessons of SARS, and to ensure timely reporting of the current 2019-nCoV situation.

The [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] confirms the first case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the United States in the state of Washington. The [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] acknowledges there are growing indications that limited person-to-person spread is happening.

Global Cases: 314 | Global Deaths: 6 | 4 Countries:

January 22

Michael Bowen, owner of medical supply company “Prestige Ameritech,” sends an email to top administrators in the Department of Health and Human Services offering to revive four machines and increase production of an additional 1.7 million N95 masks a week specifically for the federal government stockpile. His company was already seeing an increase in orders from all over the world. But communications over the next several days with senior agency officials – including [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Dr. Robert Kadlec” content=”Dr. Robert Kadlec is the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).” class=”toolTip”]Dr. Robert Kadlec[/su_tooltip] – left Bowen with the clear impression that there was little immediate interest in his offer.

In an interview from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump states he trusts the information coming out of China on the coronavirus. “We have it totally under control,” he said of the virus spread in the U.S. “It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

[su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Thomas R. Frieden” content=”An American infectious disease and public health physician. He serves as president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a $225 million, five-year initiative to prevent epidemics and cardiovascular disease. He previously served as Director of the CDC, and Commissioner of the New York City Health Department. His work made New York City’s tuberculosis control program and overall health department models for the world, established effective programs in India, and improved morale, effectiveness, and impact at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” class=”toolTip”]Dr. Tom Frieden[/su_tooltip] publishes an editorial asking three key questions about the novel coronavirus outbreak. He ends his editorial with “The new virus is likely to continue spreading and be recognized more, and in more countries, in the coming days and weeks.

No Data Reported

January 23

The Chinese city of Wuhan, with a population of 11 million, is placed in lock down. Mayor Zhou takes responsibility for the delay in reporting the scale of the epidemic, but said he was hampered by the national law on infectious diseases. He explained that Chinese law allows provincial governments to declare an epidemic only after receiving central government approval.

With [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Chinese New Year” content=”The travel season in China usually begins 15 days before New Year’s Day and lasts for around 40 days. Called Chunyun, in a typical year there is an average 2.9 billion passenger journeys during the season. It has been called the largest annual human migration in the world.” class=”toolTip”]Chinese New Year[/su_tooltip] celebrations approaching, approximately 5 million people leave the city before it is locked down, without being screened for the illness.

Later this day, the city of Ezhou is locked down. Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau cancels plans for Chinese New Year festivities and closes the Forbidden City.

[su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Dr. Rick Bright” content=”Dr. Rick Bright is an American immunologist and public health official. Bright is the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), leading the authority from 2016 to 2020.” class=”toolTip”]Dr. Rick Bright[/su_tooltip] meets with Mr. [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Alex Azar” content=”United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive.” class=”toolTip”]Alex Azar[/su_tooltip] and [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Dr. Robert Kadlec” content=”Dr. Robert Kadlec is the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).” class=”toolTip”]Dr. Robert Kadlec[/su_tooltip] to press “for urgent access to funding, personnel and clinical specimens, including viruses,” that would be necessary to develop treatments. But Mr. Azar and Dr. Kadlec “asserted that the United States would be able to contain the virus” through travel bans. Dr. Bright would be cut out of future department meetings related to Covid-19.

Global Cases: 581 | Global Deaths: 16| Countries: 7

January 24

Another Chinese city, Huanggang, goes into lock down.

President Trump Tweets: “China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!”

[su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA)” content=”Kelly Lynn Loeffler is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Georgia since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Loeffler previously served as chief executive officer of Bakkt, a subsidiary of commodity and financial service provider Intercontinental Exchange. She is also co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).” class=”toolTip”]Sen. Kelly Loeffler[/su_tooltip], who sits on the Senate Health Committee, begins stock trades worth over $18.7 million the same day her committee held a private all-members session on Covid-19, shortly before the general public was alerted to the severity of the Covid-19 crisis. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is chair of the New York Stock Exchange and chair and CEO of its holding company, Intercontinental Exchange.

Global Cases: 846 | Global Deaths: 25| Countries: 7

January 24 – 30

China celebrates the Lunar New Year in a seven day holiday, welcoming the Year of the Rat.

January 25

Global Cases: 1,320 | Global Deaths: 41| Countries: 10

January 26

Global Cases: 2,014 | Global Deaths: 56| Countries: 11

January 27

Chinese officials extend the New Year holiday to keep people at home, in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The end of the holiday has been pushed back from January 30 to February 2 to “reduce mass gatherings” and “block the spread of the epidemic.” In Shanghai, a city of 25 million people, the government extended the holiday for an additional week. It also ordered sports events and religious gatherings to close.

Former VP Joe Biden publishes an OpEd discussing the possibility of an imminent pandemic, and strongly criticizes President Trumps abilities to prepare for one.

Global Cases: 2,798 | Global Deaths: 80| Countries: 11

January 28

President Trump receives a top secret intelligence briefing from national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who gave Trump a “jarring” warning about the virus, telling the President it would be the “biggest national security threat” of his presidency. O’Brien’s deputy, Matt Pottinger, concurred, telling Trump it could be as bad as the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, including 675,000 Americans.

An elite group of U.S. infectious disease doctors and medical experts in the federal government and academic institutions around the nation, hosted by the chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security, Dr. Duane C. Caneva, initiated an email discussion thread nick-named “Red Dawn” (from the 1984 film of same name), discussing the Coronavirus. The first published email commented on the [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”WHO – World Health Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.” class=”toolTip”]WHO[/su_tooltip] and [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services” class=”toolTip”]CDC[/su_tooltip] seemingly behind the curve on pandemic preparations. One of the first emails includes this statement:

“Great Understatements in History:
Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow – “just a little stroll gone bad”
Pompeii – “a bit of a dust storm”
Hiroshima – “summer heat wave”
AND
Wuhan- “bad flu season””

President Trump retweets a headline from [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Acronym” content=”One America News Network, also known as One America News, is a far-right pro-Trump cable channel founded by Robert Herring, Sr., and owned by Herring Networks, Inc., launched on July 4, 2013. The network is headquartered in San Diego, California, and operates news bureaus in Washington, D.C. and New York City. ” class=”toolTip”]OAN[/su_tooltip], an outlet with a history of spreading false conspiracy theories: “Johnson & Johnson to create coronavirus vaccine.” There was no Coronavirus vaccine being created by Johnson & Johnson.

Global Cases: 4,593 | Global Deaths: 106| Countries: 14

January 29

[su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Peter Navarro” content=”Peter Kent Navarro is an American economist and author. He serves in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator.” class=”toolTip”]Peter Navarro[/su_tooltip] warns Trump administration officials in a memo that the coronavirus crisis could cost the United States trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans at risk of illness or death. He wrote in part: “The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil. This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.”

State of Emergency Declared: American Samoa, North Mariana Islands

Global Cases: 6,65 | Global Deaths: 132| Countries: 15

January 30

During a speech, President Trump states of the Coronavirus; it would have “a very good ending for us […] that I can assure you. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as some people think it could be. […] We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five — and those people are all recuperating successfully […] But we’re working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it’s going to have a very good ending for us … that I can assure you.”

President Trump creates a new task force to lead the government’s response to the fast-spreading coronavirus. The twelve member group is led by [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Alex Azar” content=”United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive.” class=”toolTip”]Alex Azar[/su_tooltip] and coordinated through the National Security Council. Key members of the group include National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Dr. Robert Redfield” content=”Robert R. Redfield, MD, is the 18th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. He has been a public health leader actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic human viral infections and infectious diseases, especially HIV, for more than 30 years.” class=”toolTip”]Dr. Robert Redfield[/su_tooltip], and [su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Dr. Anthony Fauci” content=”Anthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984″ class=”toolTip”]Dr. Anthony Fauci[/su_tooltip]

Global Cases: 7,818 | Global Deaths: 170| Countries: 18

January 31

[su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Alex Azar” content=”United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive.” class=”toolTip”]Alex Azar[/su_tooltip] announces the Trump administration would bar entry by most foreign nationals who had recently visited China and put some American travelers under a quarantine. This ban does not apply to Americans or legal resident aliens. The travel ban takes effect February 2.

[su_tooltip position=”north” shadow=”yes” rounded=”yes” size=”3″ title=”Alex Azar” content=”United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive.” class=”toolTip”]Alex Azar[/su_tooltip] declares a public health emergency, which unlocks special funding and waivers selected medical rules.

The S&P 500 suffers its worst loss since October, falling 1.8 percent, as the spread of the virus — and the increasingly urgent efforts by companies and governments to contain it — fanned fears of an economic slowdown.

Global Cases: 9,826 | Global Deaths: 213| Countries: 19

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Trump Twitter Links Defunct

This timeline cites a number of Twitter Tweets including those of then-President Trump. On January 8, 2021, Twitter deactivated President Trump’s Twitter account. This caused the citation links to become inactive.

Timeline Source Data Files

I built this timeline from a set of working notes in spreadsheet format. At present, my working notes have 1247 news entries, in addition to other references that form my “Additional Reading” sidebar entries, and other source references. Not all these news items are published in this timeline, for various reasons. My notes are freely available under a Creative Commons license (BY SA) to any writer or researcher who finds this work useful.

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January Timeline Events