Five years after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, the World Health Organization is still reporting deaths from the virus.
More than 3,000 people died in the last month, adding to the more than 7 million deaths since the pandemic began.
In the fall of 2019, many of the top stories for U.S. news outlets had to do with China.
“I have a good relationship with China. We’ll see what happens, but I’m very happy right now,” President Donald Trump said on Nov. 19, 2019 amid trade negotiations with Beijing. “If we don’t make a deal with China, I’ll just raise the tariffs even higher.”
NEW BAT CORONAVIRUS DISCOVERED IN CHINA SPARKS PANDEMIC CONCERNS
On the other side of the globe, protesters in Hong Kong were objecting to China’s interference in the region’s government. Trump signed a bill supporting the pro-democracy demonstrations. Back in Washington, the Smithsonian National Zoo’s beloved panda, Bei Bei, was preparing to move to a new habitat in central China, but in the background, a much bigger story was taking place.
Also, in the fall of 2019, scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were studying how mice responded to SARs and MERs-related coronaviruses. A National Intelligence Director report noted the lab maintains one of the world’s largest repositories of bat samples.
It stated, “Teams separately used transgenic mouse models to better understand how the viruses infect humans as well as related vaccine and therapeutics research.”
“This laboratory that worked on bat coronaviruses was undertaking work, which on the face of it was quite important for understanding these viruses, but had some risks,” said Stanford microbiology professor David Relman in January 2020.
During that time, several researchers at the institute fell ill with cold or flu-like symptoms, but none were severe enough to be hospitalized.
“Some of their symptoms were consistent with but not diagnostic of Covid-19,” the intelligence report stated. The intelligence community also noted that it was unclear if those illnesses were linked to the virus that would soon spread around the world.
By December, China’s stock market was rising on hopes of a trade deal with the U.S., but the local economy in Wuhan was facing a major threat. Health officials were growing concerned about a new viral pneumonia that was not responding to standard treatments. Twenty-seven cases had been confirmed, seven of which were critical.
Most of the patients had a recent history of exposure to wildlife animals at the Huanan Market, where poultry, snakes, bats and other farm animals were sold. Wuhan health officials claimed the wet market was where the virus originated. However, at least 13 of the first 41 hospitalizations had no link to the marketplace, according to an article by Chinese researchers published in the Lancet.
“That’s a big number, 13, with no link,” Daniel Lucey, an infectious disease specialist at Georgetown University, told Science in January 2020. “The virus came into that marketplace before it came out of that marketplace.”
NEW BAT CORONAVIRUS DISCOVERED IN CHINA SPARKS PANDEMIC CONCERNS
All U.S. intelligence agencies assess both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible sources of the virus’ origin. The Energy Department, the FBI and the CIA believe a laboratory-associated incident was the most likely cause of the first human infection.
“Laboratory accidents happen everywhere there are humans. Humans are fallible. So, it’s absolutely reasonable to think that some other laboratory also had an accident,” Relman said.
In late December, the Wuhan Institute of Virology isolated and identified the virus from patient samples. The information available to U.S. intelligence officials indicates this to be the first time researchers at the institute had access to the virus’ gene sequence.
On New Year’s Eve in the U.S., Trump rang in 2020 at his annual Mar-a-Lago party and was optimistic over his negotiations with China.
“We’re very excited about trade,” the president said. “I’ll be going, at some point, to Beijing, to be with President Xi. We have a great relationship. And we’ll be doing something reciprocal.”
Scientists in Wuhan were growing even more concerned about the new virus. Dozens of individuals with suspected cases had been isolated in a designated hospital. The World Health Organization became aware through a media statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission. It warned of a pneumonia of an unknown cause.
During the first days of 2020, life around the world and in most parts of China, seemed normal. However, in Wuhan, the Huanan Market had been shut down, and World Health Organization officials were taking a closer look at the cases.
“There are many unreported cases in China. There’s also a number of cases in Hong Kong that haven’t been reported,” Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang told Lou Dobbs in January 2020. “What’s happened in Hong Kong and the protest, people don’t want to go out so it has been quiet over the last week or so. But I think that this is really the fear over the contagion.”
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What was now called the 2019 Novel Coronavirus had claimed its first victim by the time Trump inked phase one of his trade deal with China.
“Right now, our relationship with China is the best it’s ever been,” Trump said at the signing ceremony.
Cases from outside of China were now accumulating. Thailand and Japan had confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2. Shortly after, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began screening passengers on direct and connecting flights from Wuhan.
“The bottom line is this is a very rare virus. The number of people who have been infected or exposed is very small,” Lenox Hill Hospital emergency room Dr. Robert Glatter said as the flight screenings began.
Days later, health officials confirmed the first U.S. case in Washington state but insisted the virus was still a low risk to the public.
“We’re very happy to say that he is in satisfactory condition and as of this moment is being, is very helpful in us identifying particular people that he may have been in contact with,” Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Wa, said after the case was announced.
More cases began to accumulate across the U.S. and around the world. In Wuhan, 11 million people were placed under lockdown orders.
“It has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as Wuhan closed its city limits.
Shoppers raced to gather essentials before the lockdown officially took place. Roads, train stations and airports were empty. Other locations throughout China were also closed to the public, and Chinese New Year celebrations were scaled back.
Around the world, more countries implemented travel restrictions from China. Many evacuated citizens from the country before the virus spread further.
By mid-February, 1,013 people had died from the virus now known as COVID-19. It had officially killed more people than the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak, when 774 people died.
The U.S. is “rated number one” for epidemic preparedness, Trump told White House reporters on Feb. 26, 2020. “We’ve had tremendous success, tremendous success beyond what people would have thought. Now at the same time you do have some outbreaks in some countries. Italy and various countries are having some difficulty.”
Italy was the new epicenter for the virus. By mid-March, 114 countries had reported more than 118,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of effected countries climb even higher,” Ghebreyesus said. “We have formed the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly.”
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