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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, 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 highlighting its Coronavirus timeline, 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 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.
October 15: 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. 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: Wuhan doctors suspect human-to-human transmission
The first suspected human-to-human transmission is recorded by Wuhan doctors. A patient is observed to have the virus but denies ever visiting the seafood market.
December 31: Taiwan alerts WHO, China censors virus terms
Taiwanese public health officials warn the WHO that the virus is spreading between humans. The WHO never publicizes the warning.
Chinese social media censors introduce a list of coronavirus-related terms, including “Wuhan unknown pneumonia” and “unknown SARS,” to block from online discussions.
January 1: China forces confessions
The Wuhan Public Security Bureau summons eight people 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: China orders destruction of research
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) orders 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: WHO cites CCP talking points on virus transmission
Chinese authorities announce publicly that a novel coronavirus was behind the recent viral pneumonia outbreak. The WHO praises 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: China initiates highest-level emergency response; restricts public knowledge
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing initiates internally 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: 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 to foreign countries but individual travel remains unrestricted.
March 12: China's Foreign Ministry spokesman says virus originated in U.S.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian insinuates in a tweet that COVID-19 originated in America and was spread to China by the United States military.
March 16: Chinese disinformation campaign sows confusion in American public
Chinese operatives push misinformation across several platforms, falsely informing Americans that a mandatory federal lockdown was imminent. The strategy was intended to “induce panic.”
March 21: China cites "Unexplained" pneumonia in Italy
Chinese state media outlets circulate reports that “an unexplained strain of pneumonia” may have originated in Italy late in 2019.
April 24: CCP pressures EU to remove China references in Coronavirus report
The CCP pressures the European Union into removing references to China from a report on government misinformation and the coronavirus.
May 11: DHS and FBI prepare to accuse Chinese hackers of attempting to steal vaccine research
The New York Times reports 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: China sends fighter jets as U.S. health chief visits Taiwan
Chinese fighter jets 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: IMF reports Chinese economic growth while other nations slump
The International Monetary Fund reports that the Chinese economy has grown in 2020, the only country expected to do so this year.
October 9: China pledges to give vaccines to developing nations
China joins a WHO-directed vaccine effort to give vaccines to developing nations, an effort it had initially resisted.
For a full account of the timeline, visit coronavirustimeline.org.
