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
A man crosses an empty road in Wuhan. (Getty Images)
A man crosses an empty road in Wuhan. (Getty Images)
Feb. 7
Dr. Li Wenliang lies on a bed at Wuhan Central Hospital. (Li Wenliang via AFP via Getty Images)
Dr. Li Wenliang lies on a bed at Wuhan Central Hospital. (Li Wenliang via AFP via Getty Images)
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
Family members of passengers onboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess talk to them on the phone at a cruise terminal in Yokohama, Japan. Passengers were quarantined on the ship after dozens tested positive for the coronavirus.
Family members of passengers onboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess talk to them on the phone at a cruise terminal in Yokohama, Japan. Passengers were quarantined on the ship after dozens tested positive for the coronavirus.
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
Judie Shape, who tested positive for the coronavirus, waves to her daughter, Lori Spencer, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash.
Judie Shape, who tested positive for the coronavirus, waves to her daughter, Lori Spencer, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash.
The Seattle-area long-term care facility became ground zero for the West Coast's coronavirus outbreak.
March 12
A couple kiss at the Barcelona airport. (Emilio Morenatti / AP)
A couple kiss at the Barcelona airport. (Emilio Morenatti / AP)
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.
A lone skater on the ice prior to a Washington Capitals game against the Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
A lone skater on the ice prior to a Washington Capitals game against the Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
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
Vice President Mike Pence speaks with Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at the White House as President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
Vice President Mike Pence speaks with Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at the White House as President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
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
Beachgoers in Clearwater, Fla. (Steve Nesius / Reuters)
Beachgoers in Clearwater, Fla. (Steve Nesius / Reuters)
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
A shuttered movie theater in Beverly Hills, Calif., as the city mandated the closure of non-essential stores. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
A shuttered movie theater in Beverly Hills, Calif., as the city mandated the closure of non-essential stores. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
March 19
A subway passenger uses a tissue to hold onto a pole in New York. (John Minchillo / AP)
A subway passenger uses a tissue to hold onto a pole in New York. (John Minchillo / AP)
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
A 68-bed field hospital in New York's Central Park equipped to serve as a respiratory care unit. (Shahrzad Elghanayan / NBC News)
A 68-bed field hospital in New York's Central Park equipped to serve as a respiratory care unit. (Shahrzad Elghanayan / NBC News)
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies above the USNS Comfort as it enters New York Harbor. (Mike Segar / Reuters)
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies above the USNS Comfort as it enters New York Harbor. (Mike Segar / Reuters)
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
A nurse attends to a Covid-19 patient wearing a CPAP as he is moved out of the intensive care unit of the Pope John XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, Italy. (Marco Di Lauro / Getty Images)
A nurse attends to a Covid-19 patient wearing a CPAP as he is moved out of the intensive care unit of the Pope John XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, Italy. (Marco Di Lauro / Getty Images)
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
Vehicles line up to receive unemployment applications in Hialeah, Fla. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
Vehicles line up to receive unemployment applications in Hialeah, Fla. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
The official unemployment rate peaked at 14.7 percent in April.
April 9
Workers bury bodies in a trench on Hart Island in New York City. (John Minchillo / AP)
Workers bury bodies in a trench on Hart Island in New York City. (John Minchillo / AP)
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
Hashim, an essential worker in the healthcare industry, greets his daughter through the closed door as he maintains social distance from his family in New Rochelle, N.Y. (Joy Malone / Reuters)
Hashim, an essential worker in the healthcare industry, greets his daughter through the closed door as he maintains social distance from his family in New Rochelle, N.Y. (Joy Malone / Reuters)
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
Kilian, 6, wears a mask as he plays outside after restrictions were partially lifted for children in Igualada, Spain. (Nacho Doce / Reuters)
Kilian, 6, wears a mask as he plays outside after restrictions were partially lifted for children in Igualada, Spain. (Nacho Doce / Reuters)
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
Jayden Deltoro, left, watches "Trolls World Tour" at the Four Brothers Drive In Theatre in Amenia, N.Y. (John Minchillo / AP)
Jayden Deltoro, left, watches "Trolls World Tour" at the Four Brothers Drive In Theatre in Amenia, N.Y. (John Minchillo / AP)
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
Diners sit under a plastic shield in a Paris restaurant. The strange-looking contraptions are among experiments restaurants are trying around the world as they try to lure back clientele while keeping them virus-free. (Thibault Camus / AP)
Diners sit under a plastic shield in a Paris restaurant. The strange-looking contraptions are among experiments restaurants are trying around the world as they try to lure back clientele while keeping them virus-free. (Thibault Camus / AP)
June 2
A gravedigger stands at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery where Covid-19 victims are buried daily in Manaus, Brazil. (Michael Dantas / AFP-Getty Images)
A gravedigger stands at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery where Covid-19 victims are buried daily in Manaus, Brazil. (Michael Dantas / AFP-Getty Images)
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
A staff member rests in front of a fan in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. (Go Nakamura / Getty Images)
A staff member rests in front of a fan in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. (Go Nakamura / Getty Images)
The governor of Texas paused the state’s reopening in late June as cases spiked, pushing intensive-care wards to full capacity.
July 11
President Donald Trump visits Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. (Patrick Semansky / AP)
President Donald Trump visits Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. (Patrick Semansky / AP)
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
Michael Hermosillo of the Los Angeles Angels catches a fly ball for the final out of a game against the Athletics in Oakland, Calif. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Michael Hermosillo of the Los Angeles Angels catches a fly ball for the final out of a game against the Athletics in Oakland, Calif. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Postponed since March, Major League Baseball's season resumed in empty ballparks at the end of July.
August 7
Kevin Campbell cheers while watching a band perform during the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. (Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images)
Kevin Campbell cheers while watching a band perform during the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. (Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images)
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
Fourth grader Reaghan Keeler, 9, attends an online reading class on her first day of distance learning in Las Vegas. Clark County School District, the fifth-largest school district in the United States, decided to start the school year with full-time remote instruction. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Fourth grader Reaghan Keeler, 9, attends an online reading class on her first day of distance learning in Las Vegas. Clark County School District, the fifth-largest school district in the United States, decided to start the school year with full-time remote instruction. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
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
Members of the U.S. Secret Service wear protective masks as Marine One carries President Donald Trump to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be treated for Covid-19. (Sarah Silbiger / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Members of the U.S. Secret Service wear protective masks as Marine One carries President Donald Trump to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be treated for Covid-19. (Sarah Silbiger / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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
A medical worker enters the treatment hall of a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients in the Krylatskoye Ice Palace in Moscow. Russia's health care system has been under severe strain as a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic has swept the country. (Pavel Golovkin / AP)
A medical worker enters the treatment hall of a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients in the Krylatskoye Ice Palace in Moscow. Russia's health care system has been under severe strain as a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic has swept the country. (Pavel Golovkin / AP)
December 1
Florence Bolton, 85, a Covid-19 patient, lies in her intensive care bed as family members attempt to communicate via video at Roseland Community Hospital on the South Side of Chicago.
Florence Bolton, 85, a Covid-19 patient, lies in her intensive care bed as family members attempt to communicate via video at Roseland Community Hospital on the South Side of Chicago.
December 2
Cars line up at Dodger Stadium for Covid-19 testing as dusk falls over Los Angeles. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
Cars line up at Dodger Stadium for Covid-19 testing as dusk falls over Los Angeles. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
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.