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BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 is an undiscovered strain of the coronavirus family. Currently, the virus has a few epicenters in China, South Korea, and Italy, but cases are being reported in different countries. Authorities are taking measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 and develop a vaccine; Until then, the best form of protection is to avoid any infected areas or people.

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MISCONCEPTIONS

Face masks are recommended for the general public in stopping the spread of COVID-19.

TIMELINE
  • Exponential Growth Cases of COVID-19 surpasses 300,000 globally. It took over three months to reach the first 100,000 cases and only 15 days to triple
  • Younger Population WHO Director-General stresses the misconception of younger people not being effected to be wrong, stating that the under 50 population make up a significant proportion of patients requiring hospitalization
  • Ineffective Testing It took three trials to confirm a positive patient who tested negative the first two times in Papua New Guinea
  • Wuhan Slows For the first time, Wuhan reports no new cases of COVID-19, however the world starts seeing exponential growth
  • WHO Study Begins WHO launches study to compare treatments and their effectiveness; all work starts moving to remote locations
  • Philanthropists Contribute Jack Ma, World Bank Group, and Bloomberg Philanthropies resources such as masks, testing kits, and money to help the global effort
  • China Outpaced For the first time, cases and deaths outside of China surpass those within China
  • South Korea Slows Down After taking great measures to contain the outbreak, South Korea reports under 100 new cases in a day for the first time in weeks.
  • International Quarantine The US adds the U.K. and Ireland to its list of travel restricted countries, effectively closing off all non-essential traffic from Europe.
  • EU Directs $40 Billion In Funding The Europeans Union directs $40 billion as part of its economic measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
  • Europe Declared New Epicenter The WHO declares Europe as the new epicenter for the coronavirus, despite its origins in China.
  • Coronavirus Bill Passed The Families First Coronavirus Response Act is slated to be passed soon as the House and White House come to an agreement.
  • NBA Cancels Season NBA is the first American sports league to cancel its season after one player tests positive for COVID-19. Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, Broadway, and Smithsonian museums also close.
  • WHO Declares Pandemic COVID-19 officially declared a pandemic as cases are reported in over 100 countries
  • US States Declare State of Emergency Washington, Florida, California, Kentucky, New York, Maryland, Utah, and Oregon have declared states of emergency
  • US Cases Surpass 500 With cases in Illinois and Massachusetts, US cases top 500
  • Quarantine Hotel Collapses A hotel in China used to contain infected people collapsed.
  • Congress Approves $8.3 Billion Coronavirus Funding Both the House and the Senate passed a bill to allot $8.3 billion in emergency funding. The vote was nearly unanimous
  • South Korea Declares 'War' on Coronavirus As cases top 5000 in South Korea, president Moon Jae-in declares "war" against the coronavirus
  • US and Australia report first deaths A patient in Washington, USA and a patient in Australia have died. They were the first deaths to be reported in either country
  • US reports first case of unknown origin Health officials announced a case in California of unknown origin, implying the virus may be spreading in the community in California
  • 'Very High' Global Risk The WHO upgrades the global risk from the outbreak to be "very high"
  • Stock Market Tumbles Stock markets close out one of the worst weeks since 2008. The Dow closes at around 25,500 from a weekly open of around 29,500
  • South Korea, Italy, and Iran South Korea, Italy, and Iran report clusterings of new cases
  • European Aid Package European Commission announces an aid package of $252 million for global preparedness and response
  • High Alert South Korean government announces highest level of alert as over 300 cases appear in a span of a few days
  • Narrowing Window of Opportunity Window to contain outbreak is said to be narrowing as the number of cases with no epidemiological link to Wuhan continues to increase
  • Public Enemy No. 1 The WHO Director-General says COVID-19 is public enemy number one, but it is not being treated as such with the death toll surpassing 2,000
  • Cruise Evacuation Countries work to evacuate their citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with over 450 cases
  • First Death in Europe First death from COVID-19 outside of Asia happens in France - and 80-year-old tourist from Hubei, China
  • Big Spikes Chinese government changes reporting to include both lab-confrimed cases and clinically confirmed cases
  • Diamond Princess 175 people test positive for COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, harbored in a quarantine zone in Japan
  • Grave Threat The virus is renamed to COVID-19 and the WHO Director calls the outbreak a "very grave threat for the rest of the world"
  • Diagnosing Ability Increases 168 labs around the world are able to diagnose the virus successfully
  • COVID-19 Overtakes SARS The death toll surpasses that of the SARS epidemic with a staggering 800 deaths
  • Nations Contribute United States, Japan, and other nations pledge over $100 million combined to help combat spread
  • Clinical Trials China begins clinical trial of Gilead's antiviral drug remdesivir, used before in Ebola patients
  • Border Control Cases pass the 10,000 mark and countries begin to apply border control measures against foreign nationals
  • International Emergency WHO Director declares the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern
  • Global Awareness Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commits $100 million towards outbreak response. The world looks to WHO for information
  • Lands in U.S. The first case is confirmed in the United States
  • Human to Human WHO confirms the virus can be transmitted from human to human, the total cases exceeds 200
  • International Affair First case reported abroad in Thailand
  • Genetic Sequence China shares the genetic sequence of COVID-19, helping trace anyone that is in danger
  • First Death A 61-year-old male suffers from respiratory failure and severe pneumonia
  • Outbreak China identifies new coronavirus as cause of the outbreak. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause varying levels of disease, from common colds to severe fatal diseases
  • Huanan Seafood Market The seafood market in Wuhan shuts down with suspicions of being the source of the sickness
  • Ground Zero China alerts WHO's China office of pneumonia patients with unknown cause of sickness