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One year ago, hospitals in Wuhan began experiencing a surge in hospitalizations that would later be connected to COVID-19, marking the beginning of the pandemic.

Fast forward 12 months. The virus has claimed over one million lives, plunged an additional 7% of the world's population into extreme poverty [[link removed]], and has allowed the Chinese Communist Party to escalate its attack on civil liberties in China and abroad.

Hudson Institute has produced a brief video [[link removed]] highlighting its Coronavirus timeline [[link removed]], which chronicles the global spread of the virus from Wuhan, China, and the efforts of the CCP to suppress key facts and spread disinformation about the virus’s origins.

Citing open-source information and news outlets, the timeline [[link removed]] provides a clear and accessible record of the global crisis in real time, enabling journalists, researchers and others to continue tracking the impact of the virus.

Watch the video below, and for a full account, visit coronavirustimeline.org [[link removed]].

Watch Video [[link removed]] Visit Coronavirus Timeline [[link removed]]

Key Dates in COVID-19 History [[link removed]]

October 15 [[link removed]] : [[link removed]] Wuhan hospital traffic surges

Wuhan experiences a dramatic increase in hospital traffic “beginning in late summer and early fall," according to a Harvard Medical School study [[link removed]]. Dr. John Brownstein notes that there was “some level of social disruption” happening in October, “well before what was previously identified as the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic.”

December 6 [[link removed]] : [[link removed]] Wuhan doctors suspect human-to-human transmission

The first suspected human-to-human transmission is recorded by Wuhan doctors [[link removed]]. A patient is observed to have the virus but denies ever visiting the seafood market.

December 31 [[link removed]] : [[link removed]] Taiwan alerts WHO, China censors virus terms

Taiwanese public health officials warn [[link removed]] the WHO that the virus is spreading between humans. The WHO never publicizes the warning.

Chinese social media censors introduce [[link removed]] a list of coronavirus-related terms, including “Wuhan unknown pneumonia” and “unknown SARS,” to block from online discussions.

January 1 [[link removed]] : [[link removed]] China forces confessions

The Wuhan Public Security Bureau summons eight people [[link removed]] to its headquarters, including Dr. Li Wenliang, who initially warned the public about the virus, accusing them of spreading “hoaxes.” Dr. Li signs a statement confessing to his “misdemeanor.” The fate of the other seven is unknown.

January 3: [[link removed]] China orders destruction of research

China’s National Health Commission (NHC) orders [[link removed]] institutions “not to publish any information related to the unknown disease” and orders labs to “transfer any samples they had to designated testing institutions or to destroy them.” The order did not specify any testing institutions.

January 9 [[link removed]] : [[link removed]] WHO cites CCP talking points on virus transmission

Chinese authorities announce [[link removed]] publicly that a novel coronavirus was behind the recent viral pneumonia outbreak. The WHO praises [[link removed]] it as “a notable achievement [that] demonstrates China’s increased capacity to manage new outbreaks.” Citing Chinese authorities, the WHO notes “the virus does not spread readily between people” and reiterates its advice against travel or trade restrictions on China.

January 15 [[link removed]] : [[link removed]] China initiates highest-level emergency response; restricts public knowledge

China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing initiates internally [[link removed]] its highest-level emergency response, which includes directions to hospitals to take protective precautions and to begin tracking cases. The directions are marked “not to be publicly disclosed.”

January 27: [[link removed]] CCP allows Lunar New Year travel, accelerating global spread

The Chinese government allows several days of massive outbound traffic tied to the Lunar New Year, an action that would have global repercussions. The Chinese government suspends group travel [[link removed]] to foreign countries but individual travel remains unrestricted.

March 12: [[link removed]] China's Foreign Ministry spokesman says virus originated in U.S.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian insinuates in a tweet [[link removed]] that COVID-19 originated in America and was spread to China by the United States military.

March 16: [[link removed]] Chinese disinformation campaign sows confusion in American public

Chinese operatives push misinformation across several platforms [[link removed]], falsely informing Americans that a mandatory federal lockdown was imminent. The strategy was intended to “induce panic.”

March 21: [[link removed]] China cites "Unexplained" pneumonia in Italy

Chinese state media outlets circulate reports [[link removed]] that “an unexplained strain of pneumonia” may have originated in Italy late in 2019.

April 24: [[link removed]] CCP pressures EU to remove China references in Coronavirus report

The CCP pressures the European Union [[link removed]] into removing references to China from a report on government misinformation and the coronavirus.

May 11: [[link removed]] DHS and FBI prepare to accuse Chinese hackers of attempting to steal vaccine research

The New York Times reports [[link removed]] that the United States Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigations are preparing to accuse Chinese hackers of attempting to steal United States research into a coronavirus vaccine.

August 10: [[link removed]] China sends fighter jets as U.S. health chief visits Taiwan

Chinese fighter jets [[link removed]] cross the median line in the Taiwan Strait, violating Taiwanese airspace in retaliation for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s visit to the self-governed island of Taiwan.

September 15: [[link removed]] IMF reports Chinese economic growth while other nations slump

The International Monetary Fund reports [[link removed]] that the Chinese economy has grown in 2020, the only country expected to do so this year.

October 9: [[link removed]] China pledges to give vaccines to developing nations

China joins a WHO-directed vaccine effort [[link removed]] to give vaccines to developing nations, an effort it had initially resisted.

For a full account of the timeline, visit coronavirustimeline.org [[link removed]].

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