Wuhan Virus / Trump Trial Timeline

November 17: The first case of someone suffering from COVID-19 occurs in Wuhan, according to the South China Morning Post

December 10: Wei Guixian, sold goods in Wuhan’s wet market, reportedly started feeling sick on this day. She was released from the hospital in January, The Wall Street Journal reported.

December 18: President Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives; the articles of impeachment charge him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. 

December 27: Zhang Jixian, a doctor at the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, sounds the alarm about a new disease that has already affected 180 patients, the Morning Post reported.

December 26-30: The first evidence of the new virus is revealed through Wuhan patient data, which had been sent to multiple Chinese genomics companies, Caixin Global reported. Hubei’s health commission orders a genomics company to stop testing the new virus and destroy all samples, according to an anonymous source in Caixin Global.

December 31: More than a month after the first incident of COVID-19, Chinese officials alert the World Health Organization (WHO) China Country Office about pneumonia with an unknown cause affecting people in Wuhan, Caixin Global reported.

On December 31st, Chinese Internet authorities started censoring terms relating to the virus on social media, including “Wuhan Unknown Pneumonia,” “SARS Variation,” “Wuhan Seafood Market,” and anything critical of the government’s response to the disease, Citizen Lab reported.

January 1: Eight doctors, including Dr. Li Wenliang, are detained and questioned by the Chinese government, who condemn them for “making false statements on the Internet,” CNN reported. Li is then forced to write a letter saying his warnings “had a negative impact,” the Journal reported.

On January 1st, Caixin Global reported that the Hubei health commission ordered genomics companies to stop testing the virus and destroy samples, confirming its earlier report.

On January 1st, The Wuhan seafood market where the virus allegedly first broke out was finally closed, though it is then “disinfected” without swabbing the individual animal cages or drawing any blood from the workers, meaning the evidence of what may have been the source of the virus was destroyed, the Times reported.

January 3: China’s National Health Commission issued a gag order and ordering pneumonia samples moved to designated testing facilities or destroyed. The Commission also orders institutions not to publish any information about the still unknown disease, Caixin Global reported.

January 5: Professor Zhang Yongzhen of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center provided the genomic sequence of the virus to Chinese authorities. On the same day, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission stopped releasing daily updates on new cases, the Journal reported.

January 9: WHO released a statement about the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, suggesting the cases pointed to a coronavirus as the possible pathogen causing the issues. The statement also said China ruled out SARS, MERS, influenza, bird flu, and other common pathogens.

On January 9, Pelosi said she would deliver the articles soon, but continued to cite a need for Republican transparency in the Senate; the same day, McConnell informed members of his caucus that he expected the trial to begin the next week, and Senator Josh Hawley announced that McConnell had signed on as a co-sponsor to his resolution to dismiss articles of impeachment not sent to the Senate within 25 days. 

January 10: Wang Guangfa, a prominent People’s Republic of China government expert, told state broadcaster China Central Television that the pneumonia outbreak was “under control” and downplayed the virus as a “mild condition,” the Times reported.

On January 10, Pelosi announced that she and Jerry Nadler were prepared to bring a resolution to appoint managers and transmit the articles of impeachment to the House floor in the next week.

January 11: Because the Chinese government took no action on Yongzhen’s genomic sequence, he published the data online to help the world work on testing methods, the Morning Post reported.

On January 11th, Chinese state media reported the first known death from an illness caused by the virus, which had infected dozens of people. The 61-year-old man who died was a regular customer at the market in Wuhan, where the illness is believed to have originated, and he had previously been found to have abdominal tumors and chronic liver disease. The report of his death came just before one of China’s biggest holidays, when hundreds of millions of people travel across the country.

January 12: The National Health Commission shared the virus genomic information with the WHO for the first time, Caixin Global reported. On this same day, Youngzhen’s lab in Shanghai is closed for “rectification,” the Morning Post reported.

January 14: WHO said there may have been human-to-human transmission of the virus, Reuters reported. Also on this day, Chinese police wearing plainclothes start detaining journalists trying to report on the outbreak at Wuhan’s Jinyintan Hospital. The journalists are forced to delete any footage taken and hand over their phones and cameras for inspection, Business Insider and the Times reported.

On January 14th, First case reported in the USA. Case would take 2 days to be confirmed by CDC.

January 15: Li Qun, head of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) emergency center, claims the risk of human-to-human transmission is “low,” the Journal reported.

On January 15th, Speaker Pelosi signed the articles of impeachment and gave them to the sergeant-at-arms, who along with House Clerk Cheryl Johnson, and the managers, delivered them to the Senate where Johnson entered the chamber and announced to Grassley and the Senate leadership that President Trump had indeed been impeached and must stand trial.

January 17: After 12 days, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission started giving daily updates on new cases of the coronavirus.

January 18: Despite the presence of the coronavirus, Wuhan holds a “potluck” banquet for 40,000 families to try and break a world record, The New York Times reported.

On January 18th, first Coronavirus samples received by CDC for testing 

January 20: Dr. Zhong Nanshan, who helped fight SARS, says in a TV interview that the coronavirus is spreading from person to person. Nanshan also said later that if the Chinese government had acted in December or early January to contain the virus, “the number of sick would have been greatly reduced, the Journal reported.

On January 20th, Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang said Beijing rules kept him from disclosing information about the threat of the coronavirus, the Journal reported.

On January 20th, Other countries, including the United States, confirmed cases. The first confirmed cases outside mainland China occurred in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, according to the World Health Organization’s first situation report.

January 21: The first confirmed case in the United States came the next day in Washington State, where a man in his 30s developed symptoms after returning from a trip to Wuhan.

On January 21st, The Republican majority voted to reject 11 amendments proposed by Democrats which requested subpoena authority to introduce testimony from current and former White House officials, and Trump administration documents which were not provided to House investigators. 

January 22-24:  The prosecution made its opening arguments

January 23: Wuhan is finally locked down, even though about 5 million people had already left the city without being screened by that time.

January 25-28:  The defense made its arguments. This was followed by a period of questions, answers, and debate on January 29-31.

January 30: The W.H.O. declared a global health emergency. Amid thousands of new cases in China, a “public health emergency of international concern” was officially declared by the W.H.O. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that it would continue to work with the W.H.O. and other countries to protect public health, and the U.S. State Department warnedtravelers to avoid China.

January 31: The Trump administration restricted travel from China. The Trump administration said it would suspend entry into the United States by any foreign nationals who had traveled to China in the past 14 days, excluding the immediate family members of American citizens or permanent residents. By this date, 213 people had died and nearly 9,800 had been infected worldwide.

On January 31, a Senate majority of 51 Republican senators voted against allowing subpoenas to call witnesses or documents.

February 2: The first coronavirus death was reported outside China. A 44-year-old man in the Philippines died after being infected, officials said, the first death reported outside China. By this point, more than 360 people had died.

February 5: US Public Health Labs start receiving and resting coronavirus samples. 

On February 5th, The Senate acquitted Trump on both impeachment articles, as neither article obtained the support of a two-thirds supermajority of senators. Fifty-two Republican senators voted against the charge of abuse of power, and all fifty-three voted against the charge of obstruction of Congress.

February 6: China President Xi Jinping orders the country’s Internet watchdog to further control social media platforms, the Morning Post reported. On this same day, citizen journalist Chen Qiushi, who was also a former rights attorney, disappeared in Wuhan after posting footage from overcrowded hospitals and panicking families, the Times reported.

February 7: Dr. Li Wenliang dies of the coronavirus, which he contracted from a patient. Wenliang was detained for sounding the alarm on the virus, the Journal reported.

February 9: Another citizen journalist, Fang Bin, who was also a local businessman, disappeared after posting videos from Wuhan on Chinese social media, the Times reported.

February 11:  The World Health Organization proposed an official name for the disease the virus coronavirus causes: Covid-19, an acronym that stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The name makes no reference to any of the people, places, or animals associated with the coronavirus, given the goal to avoid stigma. By the next day, the death toll in China had reached 1,113 and the total number of confirmed cases rose to 44,653. There were 393 cases outside of China, in 24 countries.

February 13: There were more than 14,000 new cases in Hubei Province. Officials added more than 14,840 new cases to the total number of infected in Hubei Province, and the ruling Communist Party ousted top officials there. The new cases set a daily record, coming after officials in Hubei seemed to be including infections that were diagnosed by using lung scans of symptomatic patients.

February 14: France announces the first coronavirus death in Europe. An 80-year-old Chinese tourist died on Feb. 14 at a hospital in Paris, in what was the first coronavirus death outside Asia, the authorities said. The health minister of France, Agnès Buzyn, said the man, who was from Hubei Province, the center of the outbreak, had arrived in France in mid-January and “his condition had quickly worsened.”

February 15: President Xi tightened control over Internet discussion even further, the Agence Free-Presse reported. On this same day, activist Xu Zhiyong was arrested for a February 4 essay calling for Xi to resign for suppressing information about the coronavirus. Xu had been on the run for two months, NPR reported.

February 16: Professor Xu Zhangrun was put on house arrest and banned from social media and the Internet for publishing an essay stating “The coronavirus epidemic has revealed the rotten core of Chinese governance,” The Guardian reported.

February 17: Chinese officials draft legislation to curb the practice of eating wildlife. China said it was reviewing its trade and consumption of wildlife, which has been identified as a probable source of the outbreak. Officials drafted legislation that aims to end “the pernicious habit of eating wildlife,” a statement from the Standing Committee of the Congress said.

February 19: Reporters for the Journal had their press credentials revoked by Beijing over their coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, the Journal reported.

On February 19th, Iran announced two coronavirus cases in the country, then hours later said that both patients had died.

February 20: the number of global cases had risen to nearly 76,000, according to the W.H.O.

February 21: Iran announced two additional deaths. The source of the virus in Iran is unknown.

February 23: Italy sees major surge in coronavirus cases and officials lock down towns. Europe faced its first major outbreak as the number of reported cases in Italy grew from fewer than five to more than 150. In the Lombardy region, officials locked down 10 towns after a cluster of cases suddenly emerged in Codogno, southeast of Milan. As a result, schools closed and sporting and cultural events were canceled.

February 24: The Trump administration asks Congress for $1.25 billion for coronavirus response. As the number of coronavirus cases around the globe continued to climb, the Trump administration began preparing for the virus to arrive in the United States. The White House asked Congress to allocate $1.25 billion in new emergency funds to bolster its preparedness — a significant escalation in the administration’s response. At this point the United States, where Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials warned of an almost certain outbreak, had 35 confirmed cases and no deaths.

February 28: As the number of global cases rose to nearly 87,000, the Trump administration issued its highest-level warning, known as a “do not travel” warning, for areas in Italy and South Korea most affected by the virus. The government also banned all travel to Iran and barred entry to any foreign citizen who had visited Iran in the previous 14 days.

February 29: The United States records its first coronavirus death and announces travel restrictions.

On February 29th, a patient near Seattle became the first coronavirus patient to die in the United States.

March 3: U.S. officials approve widespread coronavirus testing. The C.D.C. lifted all federal restrictions on testing for the coronavirus on March 3, according to Vice President Mike Pence. The news came after the C.D.C.’s first attempt to produce a diagnostic test kit fell flat. By this point, the coronavirus had infected more than 90,000 around the globe and killed about 3,000, according to the W.H.O.

March 4: US LABS start testing coronavirus in batches of more than 1,000 per day 

March 11: President Trump blocks most visitors from Continental Europe. In a prime-time address from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said he would halt travelers from European countries other than Britain for 30 days, as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic and stock markets plunged further.

March 13: President Trump declares a national emergency. President Trump officially declared a national emergency, and said he was making $50 billion in federal funds available to states and territories to combat the coronavirus. He also said he would give hospitals and doctors more flexibility to respond to the virus, including making it easier to treat people remotely.

March 14: Another activist, Ren Zhiqiang, disappeared in Beijing after criticizing the way Xi responded to the coronavirus, the Times reported.

March 15: The C.D.C. advised no gatherings of 50 or more people in the United States over the next eight weeks. The recommendation included weddings, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events and conferences.

March 16: President Trump advised citizens to avoid groups of more than 10. New York City’s public schools system, the nation’s largest with 1.1 million students, also announced that it would close.

March 22: The US has tested 71,870 people. Of those, 15,219 positive results were found (21%) and 201 deaths (1.3% of positive cases). The CDC has determined the Basic reproduction number (R0 - R naught) to be 2.2 (goal is less than 1). The global fatality rate is 3.42% with the US being between 1 and 2%.