How the virus spreads worldwide in just a year
Paris – From the first cases in China to the two millionth death a year later as vaccinations are being rolled out across the world, here are the key developments in the Covid-19 pandemic.
First death: On 31 December, 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is alerted to a cluster of pneumonia cases “of unknown cause” in China’s city of Wuhan.
A week later, a new coronavirus is identified. China confirms on 11 January its first death in Wuhan from an illness which will be named Covid-19.
Wuhan cut off: On 23 January, Wuhan is placed under quarantine and cut off from the world. France reports the first death confirmed outside Asia – a Chinese tourist, on 15 February.
”Pandemic”: By 6 March, more than 100 000 cases have been recorded around the world. Northern Italy is locked down, followed by the rest of the country. On 11 March, the WHO says Covid-19 is a pandemic.
Global stock markets crash: Governments and central banks roll out massive economic support measures.
Europe in lockdown: Spain (14 March) and France (17 March) order their populations to stay at home. Germany and Britain say people should avoid all social contact. The 27-nation European Union closes its external borders.
Olympics postponed: On 24 March, the Tokyo summer Olympics set for July 2020 are put off for a year. The following day, the United Nations warns that the pandemic is “threatening the whole of humanity”.
Half of world confined: Lockdown measures are enforced all around the world. On 2 April, more than 3.9 billion people – half of the global population – are forced or called on to confine themselves, according to an AFP count. The same day the threshold of one million cases is crossed.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is infected and ends up in intensive care.
Economy on its knees: The battered US aircraft manufacturer Boeing slashes 16 000 jobs on 29 April. Many other airlines and car manufacturers follow.
Hydroxychloroquine row: Backed by US President Donald Trump as a potential treatment for Covid-19, malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is judged to have no benefit at all, according to British scientists on 5 June.
Surge in Latin America: By 7 June, the global death toll is more than 400 000. Brazil has the second biggest death toll after the US. Its president, Jair Bolsonaro, calls it a “little flu”, before he gets infected. Fellow Covid-19 sceptic Donald Trump will also get it.
Masks and anti-masks: Several European countries make masks compulsory on public transport, schools, in shops and on streets.
Anti-mask demonstrations are organised in London, Paris, Rome and Germany.
More waves, new variants: The milestone of one million deaths worldwide is passed on 28 September. In October, infections start to spiral in Europe, where many countries order new lockdowns and curfews. The pandemic also picks up pace in the US.
The emergence in Britain of a variant believed to be more contagious – first detected there in September – forces Johnson to announce a new lockdown on 4 January. The variant appears in several other countries and Europe tightens restrictions.
Other strains feared to be highly contagious are detected in South Africa and Brazil.
On 7 January, the WHO calls the surging cases and new variants “alarming... and a tipping-point of the pandemic”.
Vaccines kick in: On 9 November, US biotech giant Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, say they have a highly successful vaccine. A week later, a similar announcement comes from US firm Moderna, with an AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine following fast behind.
Britain is the first Western nation to start vaccinating, with roll-out in the rest of Europe uneven. China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines and Russia’s Sputnik V jab have been rolled out in both countries and beyond for months, although none have yet been fully approved by Beijing or Moscow’s health authorities.
Two million dead: The number of deaths doubles in less than four months, passing the two million mark on Friday.
Daily deaths in the US reach 4 470 on 12 January, and in the UK 1 564 deaths are recorded a day later. –