About 2,236 people killed with no less than 76,000 affected from the coronavirus across the globe, most in mainland China.
With cases confirmed in the Europe, Asia Pacific region, the middle east, north America and Africa, the novel coronavirus has killed more than 2,236 people in mainland China and has forced the world health organization to impose a global health emergency. A timeline is presented to see how the coronavirus, termed as COVID-19, has turned out to be an ultimate threat to mainland China and the entire world.
Last year, on Dec 31, china identified some cases of atypical and strange signs of pneumonia in Wuhan, in Hubei province. The WHO was alerted regarding the novel condition as the virus was unknown then.
Most of the cases were identified at the Huanan seafood Wholesale market ahead of shutting down on Jan 1.
The number of infections escalated to 40 while the health experts were trying to figure out the virus and the growing epidemic.
January 5, Chinese administrators precluded the odds that this was a reappearance of the severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS virus- an epidemic with epicenter in china which killed no less than 770 people across the world in 2002-03.
Jan 7, the world health organization announced that the officials had discovered a novel virus. The new virus was termed as 2019-nCov and was allegedly belonged to the coronavirus family, including the common cold and SARS.
The common coronavirus infection spread through coughing, sneezing, and being in close contact with the infected person as the droplets generated through sneezing and coughing were infectious. The virus extended when the person touched anything with the virus droplet released through sneezing or coughing and touching one’s nose or mouth.
With the death of a 61-year-old-man, china announced the first death from the epidemic while the 61-year-old man bought goods from the seafood market. His symptoms are not recovered in the treatment and he died of heart failure in a hospital on Jan 9.
A case of novel coronavirus was reported in Thailand, as declared by the WHO on Jan 13. The woman who died had returned to the land from Wuhan.
A man who visited Wuhan died on Jan 16, as stated by Japan’s health ministry.
The health authorities reported another death in Wuhan on Jan 17, whereas the US called for screening of all passengers coming from china on three airports. Officials in the US, Singapore, Nepal, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea, and Taiwan validated cases in the coming days.
Jan 20, with more than 200 cases, china announced the third death and reported more cases in shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen outside Hubei province.
In the meantime, fears escalated when the Chinese expert speculated that the disease spread through human to human, on broadcast CCTV. The outbreak was suspected to infect millions of people owing to the lunar New Year celebrations.
Asian countries fortified precautionary measures to curb the spread of the epidemic, with the commencement of screening at all airports arrivals from mainland China, the epicenter of the virus.
Jan 22, the death toll shoots up with 17 additional cases and more than 550 sufferers. Several European countries optimized checks on flights arriving from mainland China.
An effective quarantine was imposed on Wuhan on Jan 23 as air and rail departures were ceased.
A similar action was taken for two more cities in the Hubei province Chibi and Xiantao.
With the announcement of the first death outside the Hubei region, the lunar eclipse celebrations commencing on Jan 25 in Beijing were called off.
Later on Jan 23, the WHO said that there is no chance of virus to spread outside the mainland china there is nothing to worry about for the international community as “no evidence” of virus found outside the china.
Till Jan 24, the death rate stood at 26 in china, while the government announced more 830 cases of coronavirus.
As the virus affected 41 million people, the score of cities escalated to 13.
Shanghai Disneyland closed down and other cities confined the entertainment places. Beijing said, “a section of the Great Wall and other famous landmarks would also be closed”.
Jan 25, a travel ban was imposed on more than five cities in Hubei, with the score of affected people rising to 56 million.
In the interim, Hong Kong proclaimed a virus emergency, called off the Lunar New Year celebrations and restrained links to mainland China.
Jan 26, the death toll rises to 56 with more than 2,000 reported cases and closing down of Disneyland and ocean park theme parks in the Hong Kong.
More cases were reported in the US, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea.
Until Jan 27, the death toll puffed up to 106, among them 100 cases were in Hubei, as reported by authorities. More than 4,515 people were reported positive with the novel coronavirus. In two days, 2,714 new cases were identified in Hubei.
Jan 30, while the death toll surged to 170, making the total of reported cases as 7,711, the virus extended to all 31 provinces.
With one infected patient in each country, India and Philippines reported the first death from the coronavirus.
Jan 31, the number of cases confirmed in china rose to 9,809. Several countries including Spain, Russia, Sweden, and the UK confirmed the first case of coronavirus.
Feb 1, the death toll in china escalates to 259, and 11,791 cases confirmed in the country, as per Chinese health authority. New cases were identified in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Japan, the UAE, the US, and Vietnam.
On Feb 2, a first death was reported in the Philippines, outside Wuhan. In China, the score of deaths from coronavirus reached 14,380.
About 57 new cases were reported in China, passing the death toll to a minimum of 361. The number of cases increased across the country to 17,205.
China told the death rate was rising to take the number to 425; however, the number of sufferers remained constant to 20,438 in the Hubei region. Global fatalities rose to 427 as Hong Kong reported a death from the coronavirus, besides Belgium wherein a person died after visiting the Wuhan city.
Feb 5, the WHO reiterated that there was “no known effective treatment” for the epidemic while the other five flights returned to the US taking the evacuees from Wuhan.
In the meantime, 490 deaths were reported in China with 24,324 cases of infection.
On Feb 6, more than 28,000 cases were confirmed bringing the death toll to 563.
The number of coronavirus cases rose to 30 in Europe and Malaysia announced the first case of the epidemic.
Feb 7, Dr Li Wenliang died of the coronavirus who was the first to warn the citizens regarding the novel coronavirus back in December 2019. On the other hand, Hong Kong imposed a severe punishment on breaking the quarantine regulations.
The death toll mounted to 636, and more 31-161 cases reported. A US ex-pat died in Wuhan on Feb 8 due to the coronavirus.
A 60-year-old Japanese man died in Wuhan and suspected as a coronavirus patient.
The death toll reached tp 722 in china and the number of confirmed cases rose to 34, 546.
Feb 9, china was under pressure as the number of affected persons surpassed the cases reported in the SARS epidemic through 2002-03. In the meantime, a team of experts from the WHO reached Wuhan for investigation purposes.
Till Feb 10, the score of confirmed cases was 40,171 with 97 new fatalities. This was the deadliest day of the epidemic.
President Xi Jinping, for the first time, addressed the public after the occurrence of the epidemic. He urged the country to fight the battle against coronavirus with confidence, while he visited the hospital in Beijing.
Feb 11, the WHO termed the coronavirus as “COVID-19”.
For now, the death toll in china was 1,016 and 42,638 confirmed cases.
On Feb 12, the Japanese health minister announced: “there were 175 people infected on board the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, docked at Yokohama”.
There was a record number of deaths in china i.e. 1,113 and number of cases hitting 44, 653.
Feb 13, Hong Kong implemented one-month quarantine on all people who have visited China and suspected to have coronavirus, the Korean news agency reported.
In mainland China, the death toll rose to 1,300 and the record number of confirmed cases i.e. 60,000. Japan confirmed the first death from coronavirus in its region.
Feb 14, European country France reported the first casualty from coronavirus and Egypt was the first country in Africa reporting the case of coronavirus. More 121 deaths reported in china and death rate surpassed 1,400. The death toll swept 1,500 and the number of infections rose to 66,492.
Away, the US was ready to evacuate its citizens from the cruise ship quarantined by the Japanese.
On the other hand, it was posted by the media that the admiration was aware of the coronavirus outbreak much before the alarm was raised publically.
A taxi driver died of a coronavirus in 60-year-of-age, in Taiwan.
The death in china was 1,665 and the number of confirmed cases was 68,500 as reported by the authorities.
As of Feb 17, more 1, 7770 fatalities were reported along with 70, 548 new cases.
The quarantine diamond princess cruise ship was conformed to have 99 more cases 0f coronavirus, as mentioned by Japan.
For the first time since the outbreak of the virus, on Feb 18 the death toll dropped below 2,000, while the number of confirmed cases was reported as 72,436 in China.
From Feb 20, Russia barred Chinese citizens from entering its borders.
Iran announced the first two deaths from coronavirus in the country, few hours ahead of the confirmation on Feb 19.
The figure for daily infection in china dropped consecutively for the second day, with 74, 185 cases in mainland China.
South Korea confirmed the fist death from COVID-19 on Feb 20.
Currently, the death toll in china rose to 2,118 with a number of affected as 74,576.
Almost 100 new cases of the epidemic were identified in South Korea on Feb 21, and the total reached 204. And, Israel reports its first case of the epidemic as a woman who came back from a cruise was identified as a patient of coronavirus. The number of an infected person reaches to 6 in Italy as three new cases were identified.–Worldwide News