From Wuhan to Coventry: Tracking the coronavirus in pictures
Since it emerged in 2019, the coronavirus has spread rapidly around the world, causing the most destructive pandemic in 100 years.
The prelude to the pandemic was set in Wuhan, China.
Presented in January with 59 pneumonia-like cases from the city, scientists quickly recognized the threat posed by this new and highly-infectious Covid-19 virus. Before the month was over, the first case was detected in the United States. Within weeks it was spreading across the country, decimating the economy, destroying lives, and President Donald Trump was unable to stop it. By Christmas, the coronavirus death toll had eclipsed the number of U.S. casualties on the battlefields of World War Two, Trump had lost the presidential election to Joe Biden, and a weary nation was waiting impatiently for newly-developed Covid-19 vaccines to be distributed.
Here are the images that captured the crisis that upended our lives and consumed most of 2020.
Jan. 24
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital to treat coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China. (AFP via Getty Images)
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital to treat coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China. (AFP via Getty Images)
Construction of a hospital in Wuhan to handle patients infected with the coronavirus began Jan. 24 with a crew of 7,000 people working around the clock. Chinese state media carried live video of the construction site and the 1,000-bed hospital opened just 10 days later.
Feb. 3
Feb. 7
The death of Dr. Li, whose early warnings about China's new coronavirus outbreak were suppressed by the police, unleashed a wave of anger at the government's handling of the crisis.
Feb. 11
March 3
Covid-19 patients wait to be transferred from Wuhan No. 5 Hospital to Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built hospital for coronavirus patients in Wuhan. (AFP via Getty Images)
Covid-19 patients wait to be transferred from Wuhan No. 5 Hospital to Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built hospital for coronavirus patients in Wuhan. (AFP via Getty Images)
March 11
The Seattle-area long-term care facility became ground zero for the West Coast's coronavirus outbreak.
March 12
President Donald Trump, who had downplayed the coronavirus for weeks, suddenly struck a different tone on March 11, announcing that he would ban many foreign travelers from Europe for 30 days amid the growing outbreak.
The NHL announced they were suspending their season on March 12, joining the NBA, MLS, and other sporting leagues around the world suspending play because of the outbreak.
March 13
Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, saying the action would "open up access" to up to $50 billion "for states and territories and localities in our shared fight against this disease."
March 14
Hundreds of shoppers line up for blocks to purchase supplies at a Costco in Garden Grove, Calif. (Mike Blake / Reuters)
Hundreds of shoppers line up for blocks to purchase supplies at a Costco in Garden Grove, Calif. (Mike Blake / Reuters)
March 17
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to issue an order to close the state's beaches, despite fears regarding the spread of the coronavirus.
March 18
March 19
In early March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to clean New York subway trains every 72 hours, but in early May the subway system began to close for four hours overnight to allow for daily disinfecting.
March 26
An opera singer performs "O Sole Mio" from his window in Paris on the tenth day of a strict lockdown in France. (Philippe Lopez / AFP via Getty Images)
An opera singer performs "O Sole Mio" from his window in Paris on the tenth day of a strict lockdown in France. (Philippe Lopez / AFP via Getty Images)
March 30
Originally deployed to care for patients without coronavirus, the Navy hospital ship switched gears and started accepting them as the city’s hospitals became overrun with people suffering from the disease.
April 6
Bodies are moved to a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Bryan R. Smith / AFP-Getty Images)
Bodies are moved to a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Bryan R. Smith / AFP-Getty Images)
New York City suffered its deadliest day on April 6, with the death toll climbing over 4,000.
April 7
In northern Italy, where the coronavirus ravaged cities from late February through April, doctors credit the turnaround to the country’s strict nationwide lockdown, widespread testing, robust contact tracing and a very gradual process of reopening.
April 8
The official unemployment rate peaked at 14.7 percent in April.
April 9
As New York City dealt with a mounting coronavirus death toll and dwindling morgue space, the city shortened the amount of time it would hold unclaimed remains before they were buried in the city's public cemetery.
April 11
April 19
Health care workers stand in the street as a counter-protest to those demanding the stay-at-home order be lifted in Denver. (Alyson McClaran / Reuters)
Health care workers stand in the street as a counter-protest to those demanding the stay-at-home order be lifted in Denver. (Alyson McClaran / Reuters)
April 26
Spain, which had one of the world's most stringent lockdowns, eased its restrictions in late April, allowing children under 14 to go outside for an hour a day.
May 15
May 24
Olivia Grant, right, hugs her grandmother, Mary Grace Sileo, through a plastic drop cloth hung up on a homemade clothes line in Wantagh, N.Y. It was the first time they had contact since the pandemic began. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
Olivia Grant, right, hugs her grandmother, Mary Grace Sileo, through a plastic drop cloth hung up on a homemade clothes line in Wantagh, N.Y. It was the first time they had contact since the pandemic began. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
May 27
June 2
June 8
Seniors watch a video retrospective of their time in high school during Pioneer Valley Regional School's graduation, held at a drive-in theater in Hinsdale, N.H. (Brian Snyder / Reuters)
Seniors watch a video retrospective of their time in high school during Pioneer Valley Regional School's graduation, held at a drive-in theater in Hinsdale, N.H. (Brian Snyder / Reuters)
June 30
The governor of Texas paused the state’s reopening in late June as cases spiked, pushing intensive-care wards to full capacity.
July 11
Trump wore a mask for the first time in a public setting during the visit to Walter Reed. The institution requires mask-wearing as a means of preventing spread of Covid-19, but the president has not always abided by such requirements.
July 25
Postponed since March, Major League Baseball's season resumed in empty ballparks at the end of July.
August 7
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have caused more than 250,000 new coronavirus cases, according to an economic study focused on the public health costs of “superspreading” events.
The 10-day rally attracted more than 400,000 people.
August 24
September 20
Volunteers install 20,000 U.S. flags on the National Mall to represent the 200,000 Americans lost in the pandemic. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)
Volunteers install 20,000 U.S. flags on the National Mall to represent the 200,000 Americans lost in the pandemic. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)
The U.S. reached 200,000 coronavirus deaths on Sept. 19, just four months after the death toll hit 100,000.
October 2
October 5
President Donald Trump pulls off his mask as he returns to the White House after receiving treatment for the coronavirus. (Erin Scott / Reuters)
President Donald Trump pulls off his mask as he returns to the White House after receiving treatment for the coronavirus. (Erin Scott / Reuters)
"Don't be afraid of Covid," President Trump tweeted before leaving Walter Reed Medical Center. "Don't let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!"
November 18
December 1
December 2
December 8
Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded by staff as she returns to her ward after becoming the first person in the United Kingdom to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry. (Jacob King / Pool via Getty Images)
Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded by staff as she returns to her ward after becoming the first person in the United Kingdom to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry. (Jacob King / Pool via Getty Images)
In approving and delivering the vaccine, Britain is forging a path that will likely be followed by the United States and Europe in the coming weeks.