It’s been a year that China reported its first Covid case – since then the ongoing pandemic has killed more than 1.25 million people around the world and infected tens of millions more.
According to a report published by a popular Chinese daily, the first known case of Covid-19 can be traced back to November 17, 2019. A 55-year-old man from Hubei province is suspected to be an infected person.
However, the Chinese authorities originally reported the first case on December 31 and initial reports mention that the pandemic was a result of a live animal market – the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, but the cause is unknown to date.
By the end of December 2019, the Chinese government alerted the WHO saying multiple cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause had been detected in Wuhan. The RAF started bringing citizens’ home and flying them to Brize Norton. They were taken to a hospital on the Wirral and then quarantined for 14 days.
In January, Chinese scientists confirmed a new strain of Covid-19, however, city health officials in Wuhan said there was no human to human transmission. They admitted it later. Apart from China, Beijing, UK, South Korea, and Shanghai also reported cases. The US declared a public health emergency and closed its borders to people traveling from high-risk areas.
In February, the UK government declares coronavirus a “serious and imminent threat to public health”.
In March, things got worse, the first death from Covid-19 in the UK was reported. SAGE warned against physical contact and advised pushing the message on hand-washing. The WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Countries across the world began to impose restrictions, including shutting of bars, restaurants, schools, etc.
In April, India recorded 23,452 cases and the death toll stood at 723.
In May, UK passed Italy to become the country in Europe with the highest death toll, at more than 32,000. Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat had been the severely-hit places in India. The government started 'Unlock 1'.
Things changed in June – India was placed fourth after the US, Brazil, and Russia. Migrants started displacing from their work states to their native villages. This worsened the economic situation that forced central and state governments to exit the coronavirus lockdown.
In July, Covid-19 confirmed infections touched 1,33,310 after 1,035 new cases were detected in the last 24 hours. Delhi had 10,770 active cases.
On August 4, it dropped below the 10,000-mark for the first time since May 30 and stood at 9,897, owing to a good recovery rate and fewer new cases.
In September, the Delhi government started laying a lot of emphasis on home isolation, especially for asymptomatic patients as part of its Covid-19 management strategy in the past several months.
In October, UK scientific advisor says coronavirus unlikely to be eradicated. Britain, like other countries in Europe, was in the grip of a resurgence in COVID-19 infections, with much of the country under local restrictions and more than 21,000 daily cases.
Currently, in November, the race to develop an effective vaccine has become a priority. The peak stage of the Covid-19 pandemic in India has been delayed by the eight-week lockdown along with strengthened public health measures and it may now arrive around mid-November during which there could be a paucity of isolation and ICU beds, and ventilators, according to a study.
