Coronavirus Timeline: How COVID-19 Reached 1 Million Cases In The US

Since the first case of coronavirus infection was detected on US soil in late January, cases began sprouting in every corner of the country. Today, the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US are now 1,064,194, with fatalities reaching 61,656.

The state with the highest number of cases is New York at 305,086, of which 23,474 have died. It is followed by New Jersey with total cases of 116,264 and with 6,770 fatalities. Other states that registered high infection cases are Massachusetts, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. How did it all come to this?

From Wuhan To The US

The new coronavirus was reportedly first detected in Wuhan, China, in late December of 2019. At the outset, local authorities in Wuhan allegedly tried to hide the fact that a number of its residents are already coming down with a mysterious ailment, according to reports. When it did admit the existence of a disease brought forth by the new coronavirus, only then did the world know.

January 21

A man from Washington State who visited Wuhan was admitted to the hospital after experiencing flu-like symptoms after his arrival to the US on Jan. 15. A resident of Snohomish County, he is reported to be the first patient of COVID-19 in the US. According to US officials, prior to the arrival of the man, airports did not conduct screening measures for travelers arriving from the original epicenter of the pandemic.

January 30

Before this date, the only US patients reported to be suffering from the disease were those who traveled to places where a high incidence of infection occurred. This changed on Jan 30, however, as health officials reported the first known transmission of someone with no travel history outside the United States.

This case involved a man in his 60s who reportedly may have caught the virus from his wife, who got sick herself after returning from Wuhan. Both husband and wife are living in Illinois, Chicago, where they also got admitted to a hospital.

February 29

US health officials announced the death of a coronavirus patient in Washington State. This death is reportedly believed to be the first known death in America of someone suffering from the deadly disease.

According to reports, the patient is a man in his 50s and is suffering from several pre-existing medical conditions. Health officials say he died from the virus at a hospital in Seattle just a couple of hours after testing positive for coronavirus.

March 1

On March 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the death of a person who is reportedly the first one to test positive for COVID-19 in New York. Health officials say the victim was a 39-year-old healthcare worker who returned from Iran recently.

March 2

By the second day of March, US health officials reported that the cases of COVID-19 infection on American soil had passed 100 cases. Reports say that this may have been due to infected persons who are unaware they are already infected and transmitted the disease to others.

March 10

Only eight days after reporting that COVID-19 cases on US soil have passed the 100th mark, health officials reveal that the cases have now passed 1,000. At this point, federal health officials have started recommending preventative measures such as social distancing to be implemented.

March 13

As cases in the US continue to soar, a national emergency was declared by President Trump. According to White House Officials, the declaration is made to free $50 billion in federal funds that will be used to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 19

Days after health officials announced that coronavirus is now present in all 50 states, confirmed cases of the infection soared past 10,000. West Virginia was the last state to announce a patient coming down with the deadly illness.

March 27

The United States became the first country around the globe to reach 100,000 cases of confirmed CVID-19 infection. Reports say at that time that the number is more than any other country had ever reported.

April 11

Once again, the United States became the first country to reach the grim milestone of 500,000 in confirmed coronavirus cases. This day also marked the first that America surpassed Italy in terms of the highest number of fatalities from the pandemic.

According to reports, the United States recorded at least 19,400 fatalities resulting from COVID-19 infection during this time. Data from John Hopkins showed that the US had 551 more deaths compared to the 18,849 of Italy on that day.

April 28

The United States becomes the first country to exceed 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus infection. Data shows that the country’s number of confirmed infections is exponentially higher compared to other hard-hit nations.

According to reports, the US was followed by Spain, which had more than 232,000 cases and Italy, which had more than 201,000 cases during that time. China, the country where the pathogen is reported to have been first detected, has reported 83,938 cases since the virus was first detected in December.