Last updated: Feb 23, 2021
Coronavirus Timeline
This timeline focuses on the origins of the novel coronavirus and the Chinese Communist Party’s response. It is based on publicly available sources and will be updated as new information emerges.
Chapter 1
The Beginning

October 2019
15 Oct. 2019
Wuhan Hospital Traffic Surges
Wuhan, China 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.”
Updated 6 months ago
31 Oct. 2019
Hubei Audit Chronicles Lack of Resources That Threatens Public Health Functions
An audit internal to Hubei Province concludes that a “huge gap in staff and operating funds of the provincial CDC has seriously affected the normal performance of public health functions.”
Updated 2 months ago
November 2019
17 Nov. 2019
'Patient Zero'
A 55-year-old resident from Hubei province contracts COVID-19, according to data seen by the South China Morning Post, possibly the first coronavirus case.
Updated 8 months ago

December 2019
01 Dec. 2019
First Case Recognized by Chinese Authorities
The first coronavirus case now recognized by Chinese authorities is recorded in a Wuhan hospital. The patient was initially suspected to have been infected by an animal (likely a bat) in the Huanan Seafood Market, a narrative now in dispute as researchers propound alternative origins, including that lax security procedures in the Wuhan Institute of Virology led to its escape.
Updated 8 months ago
02 Dec. 2019
Influenza Outbreak Begins
A month-long influenza outbreak begins, including in Wuhan, causing a 20-fold increase in influenza cases from the previous year.
Updated 2 months ago
06 Dec. 2019
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.
Updated 8 months ago
25 Dec. 2019
Threat to Health Care Workers
Wuhan doctors suspect disease transmission from patients to medical staff, further evidence of human-to-human transmission and the first instance of a threat to health care workers. Wuhan hospitals have experienced a steady rise in infections since the first cases.
Updated 8 months ago

27 Dec. 2019
First Known Case Outside of China
A French patient is confirmed to have the virus, marking the first known case outside of China. The sample from the patient was not analyzed until May 2020.
Updated 8 months ago
DNA Sequencing
A Guangzhou-based genomics company sequences most of the virus, showing an “alarming similarity to…SARS.” Samples of the virus are distributed to at least six other genomics companies for testing.
Updated 9 months ago
31 Dec. 2019
Chinese Social Media Censoring
Chinese social media censors introduce a list of coronavirus-related terms, including “Wuhan unknown pneumonia” and “unknown SARS,” to block from online discussions.
Updated 8 months ago
Taiwan's Warning
Taiwanese public health officials warn the World Health Organization (WHO) that the virus is spreading between humans. The WHO never publicizes the warning.
Updated 8 months ago
Go Deeper

January 2020
01 Jan. 2020
China Summons Doctors
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.
Updated 9 months ago
Hubei Provincial Health Commission Orders Company to Cease Testing and Destroy Samples
An official at the Hubei Provincial Health Commission orders a genomics company to cease “testing samples from Wuhan and to destroy all existing samples.” The company’s labs had sequenced the virus’s genetic code in December with results suggesting a highly infectious virus similar to SARS.
Updated 9 months ago
02 Jan. 2020
'Probable' Infections Identified in Ohio
Retroactive antibody testing identified “probable” infections in people living in disparate corners of Ohio in early January.
Updated 4 months ago
03 Jan. 2020
05 Jan. 2020
WHO Advises Against Travel Restrictions
Six days after its China Country Office was “informed of cases of pneumonia with unknown etiology” in Wuhan, the WHO “advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information available on this event.”
Updated 8 months ago
06 Jan. 2020
CDC Offer to Help Rejected
The CDC offers to send a team to assist Chinese authorities; it never receives permission to enter the country.
Updated 8 months ago
Wuhan Officials 'Stymie' Investigators
Wuhan hosts annual, eleven-day meetings with local and Hubei provincial officials. Local officials reportedly “stymied” investigators from Beijing for fear of angering their superiors.
Updated 8 months ago
07 Jan. 2020
Xi Orders Public Officials to Control the Outbreak
President Xi Jinping reportedly orders public officials to control the outbreak during a private meeting of top CCP leadership. The existence of the meeting was not reported by state media until February, in the face of heavy criticism from Chinese citizens.
Updated 8 months ago
09 Jan. 2020
Chinese State Media Report on the Outbreak
WHO Praises China's Response; Says Virus Does Not Spread between People
The WHO praises the Chinese government: “Preliminary identification of a novel virus in a short period of time is a notable achievement and demonstrates China’s increased capacity to manage new outbreaks.” It also stresses that “the virus does not spread readily between people” and reiterates its advice against travel or trade restrictions on China. Privately, WHO officials were frustrated that the CCP had not yet released the virus’s genome; yet these concerns were not shared with the public
Updated 8 months ago
12 Jan. 2020
13 Jan. 2020
Thailand's First Case
14 Jan. 2020
WHO Says 'No Clear Evidence of Human-to-Human Transmission'
Nearly six weeks after Wuhan doctors raise the possibility of human-to-human transmission, the WHO issues a statement stressing that Chinese authorities recorded no cases of human-to-human transmission.
Updated 8 months ago
China's National Health Commission Raises the Possibility of Human-to-Human Transmission
Hubei Provincial officials hold a teleconference with Ma Xiaowei, the head of China’s National Health Commission, who details the threat posed by the new virus. A memo from the teleconference raises the possibility of human-to-human transmission.
Updated 8 months ago
15 Jan. 2020
Japan's First Case
CCP Alerts Consulates to Prepare for Pandemic
The CCP issues an alert to all Chinese consulates “to prepare for and respond to a pandemic” by obtaining massive stocks of personal protective equipment.
Updated 8 months ago
Emergency Response
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.”
Updated 8 months ago
18 Jan. 2020
Wuhan's Lunar New Year Celebration
Wuhan authorities allow nearly 40,000 to gather for the Lunar New Year celebration.
Updated 8 months ago

20 Jan. 2020
Xi Orders Officials to Stop the Virus
Chinese state media first reports that President Xi ordered officials to stop the virus; President Xi also makes a public statement, failing to mention human-to-human transmission.
Updated 8 months ago
Human-to-Human Transmission Confirmed
Dr. Zhong Nanshan, a leading authority on respiratory health who rose to prominence for his role fighting SARS, confirms that the disease spreads from person-to-person. The head of China’s NHC investigatory team also confirms cases of human-to-human transmission in Guangdong province, indicating spread between provinces.
Updated 8 months ago
21 Jan. 2020
First American Case
The CDC confirms the first American case, a Washington resident who had returned from China six days earlier.
Updated 8 months ago
22 Jan. 2020
WHO Director General Praises Xi; WHO Declares Virus Does Not Yet Constitute Public Health Emergency
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praises China for its “cooperation” and praises Xi Jinping for his “leadership and intervention” which had been “invaluable” to responding to the outbreak. A WHO Emergency Committee concludes that the virus does not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Updated 8 months ago

Key Events
-
Wuhan Doctors Suspect Human-to-Human Transmission
Dec 6, 2019 -
China Summons Doctors
Jan 1, 2020 -
Institutions Ordered Not to Publish Coronavirus Information
Jan 3, 2020 -
Wuhan Officials 'Stymie' Investigators
Jan 6, 2020 -
WHO Praises China's Response; Says Virus Does Not Spread between People
Jan 9, 2020 -
Human-to-Human Transmission Confirmed
Jan 20, 2020 -
First American Case
Jan 21, 2020 -
China Criticizes U.S. Travel Ban
Feb 1, 2020 -
Death of Li Wenliang
Feb 7, 2020 -
China Donates $8 Million to WHO
Mar 8, 2020 -
China Announces 'Health Silk Road'
Mar 17, 2020 -
China Revokes Press Credentials for Journalists from Major U.S. Newspapers
Mar 18, 2020 -
China Revises Case Numbers to Include Asymptomatic Cases
Mar 31, 2020 -
PLA Stages Naval Combat Exercises
Apr 3, 2020 -
U.S. Intelligence Community Confirms Investigation of Wuhan Institute of Virology
Apr 30, 2020 -
DHS Report Says Chinese Government Hoarded Medical Supplies
May 3, 2020
January 2020
24 Jan. 2020
Europe's First Real-Time Cases
25 Jan. 2020
26 Jan. 2020
Lunar New Year Holiday Extended
The Chinese government announces it will extend the Lunar New Year Holiday until February 2.
Updated 8 months ago
27 Jan. 2020
China Suspends International Group Travel
The Chinese government suspends group travel to foreign countries (individuals would still travel abroad unencumbered), three days after massive outbound traffic begins for the Lunar New Year. Over those days, travelers journeyed to Japan, South Korea, the United States, Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and South America. The RAND Corporation estimates that, at this time, China’s reported number of infections was undercounted by a factor of nearly 40.
Updated 8 months ago
30 Jan. 2020
WHO Declares Global Health Emergency
The WHO declares the coronavirus a global health emergency, while expressing confidence in “China’s capacity to control the outbreak.” The organization recommends against border closures, visa restrictions, and quarantining of healthy visitors from affected regions.
Updated 8 months ago

Lunar New Year Holiday Extended Further
Several Chinese provinces and cities extend the Lunar New Year holiday until at least February 13 to halt commerce and travel.
Updated 8 months ago
31 Jan. 2020
Iran Suspends Travel To and From China
Iran presumptively cancels all flights to and from China. Privately owned Mahan Airlines (which has links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) continues service between Tehran and China, including Wuhan, for at least another week.
Updated 8 months ago

Uighur Groups Quarantined
CCP authorities order residents in Atush, in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, to confine themselves in their homes for three weeks. Residents say they were given no prior warning and Uighur watchdog groups report widespread starvation in the area. Authorities never close Uighur detention camps.
Updated 8 months ago

February 2020
01 Feb. 2020
China Criticizes U.S. Travel Ban
Responding to the prior day’s announcement that the United States would suspend entry of foreign nationals who had visited China, Chinese officials criticize the move as “neither based in fact nor helpful” and “certainly not a gesture of goodwill.”
Updated 8 months ago
02 Feb. 2020
First Death Outside China
The first coronavirus death outside China is reported: a 44-year-old man in the Philippines.
Updated 8 months ago
Wuhan Builds New Hospital
The city of Wuhan completes construction on the makeshift Huoshenshan hospital in ten days, eliciting breathless praise from state media, which describe the accomplishment as “shocking.”
Updated 8 months ago

05 Feb. 2020
China Criticizes Australia's Travel Ban
The Chinese embassy in Canberra criticizes Australia’s travel ban on entries from mainland China.
Updated 8 months ago
06 Feb. 2020
First American Death
A California patient initially thought to have died from influenza is confirmed in April to be the first COVID-19 death in the U.S. The first U.S. death reported in real-time would not be until February 29 in Seattle.
Updated 8 months ago
07 Feb. 2020
Death of Li Wenliang
Dr. Li Wenliang, considered by the Chinese public to be the foremost champion of spreading information about coronavirus, succumbs to the virus at the age of 33. His death leads to an outpouring of national anger over information suppression.
Updated 8 months ago

Hubei Authorities Underreport COVID Cases
Hubei officials underreported cases by nearly half, with 2,478 reported and 5,918 recorded in internal documents. The average time from symptom onset to a positive test result is 23.3 days, and clinical diagnoses are recorded as “suspected cases” instead of “confirmed cases.” This practice would continue into the middle of the month.
Updated 2 months ago
Xi and Trump Speak
Xi Jinping and President Trump speak; Trump pledges assistance to China and congratulates them on their progress.
Updated 8 months ago
14 Feb. 2020
Xi Calls to Improve Biosecurity
19 Feb. 2020
China Expels Wall Street Journal Reporters
China expels three Wall Street Journal reporters in response to an op-ed headline.
Updated 8 months ago

21 Feb. 2020
Iran's First Case
23 Feb. 2020
Cases in Italy Surge
Italy first reports a major surge in coronavirus cases; Codogno, near Milan, becomes the first Italian town to lock itself down.
Updated 8 months ago

Key Events
-
Wuhan Doctors Suspect Human-to-Human Transmission
Dec 6, 2019 -
China Summons Doctors
Jan 1, 2020 -
Institutions Ordered Not to Publish Coronavirus Information
Jan 3, 2020 -
Wuhan Officials 'Stymie' Investigators
Jan 6, 2020 -
WHO Praises China's Response; Says Virus Does Not Spread between People
Jan 9, 2020 -
Human-to-Human Transmission Confirmed
Jan 20, 2020 -
First American Case
Jan 21, 2020 -
China Criticizes U.S. Travel Ban
Feb 1, 2020 -
Death of Li Wenliang
Feb 7, 2020 -
China Donates $8 Million to WHO
Mar 8, 2020 -
China Announces 'Health Silk Road'
Mar 17, 2020 -
China Revokes Press Credentials for Journalists from Major U.S. Newspapers
Mar 18, 2020 -
China Revises Case Numbers to Include Asymptomatic Cases
Mar 31, 2020 -
PLA Stages Naval Combat Exercises
Apr 3, 2020 -
U.S. Intelligence Community Confirms Investigation of Wuhan Institute of Virology
Apr 30, 2020 -
DHS Report Says Chinese Government Hoarded Medical Supplies
May 3, 2020
February 2020
24 Feb. 2020
CCP Calls Uighur Detention Camps 'Training Centers'
In response to criticism of CCP treatment of Uighur communities during the outbreak, Wang Xining, China’s number two diplomat in Australia, calls Uighur detention camps “training centers,” where people get “training for future jobs” and where residency is “mostly voluntary.”
Updated 8 months ago
26 Feb. 2020
Uighur Workers Sent Back to Factories
China Plans Book to Detail 'Advantages' of 'Socialist System with Chinese Characteristics'
The Chinese government announces plans to publish a book, Great War, that details Xi Jinping’s “strategic vision and outstanding leadership” in combatting the virus in China, alongside a demonstration of the “advantages” of the “socialist system with Chinese characteristics” in handling such a crisis.
Updated 8 months ago
First Case in Latin America
A São Paolo man, recently returned from a trip to Italy, becomes the first coronavirus case in Latin America, according to Brazilian health officials.
Updated 8 months ago
Go Deeper

28 Feb. 2020
First Case in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria confirms the first coronavirus case in Sub-Saharan Africa, a businessman traveling from Milan to Lagos.
Updated 8 months ago
29 Feb. 2020
March 2020
03 Mar. 2020
Xinhua Argues 'World Should Thank China'
Xinhua contends that the “world should thank China” for its early response to the virus and touts that, unlike the U.S. government's treatment of Chinese citizens, it never imposed a travel ban on American citizens.
Updated 8 months ago
07 Mar. 2020
Hubei Authorities Underreport COVID Deaths
Hubei authorities underreport daily deaths by nearly 800, part of a weeks-long pattern of publicly underreporting death totals.
Updated 2 months ago
08 Mar. 2020
China Donates $8 Million to WHO
11 Mar. 2020
WHO Declares the Outbreak a Pandemic
12 Mar. 2020
China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Says Virus Originated in America
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.
Updated 8 months ago
14 Mar. 2020
Chinese Whistleblower Disappears
Friends of Chinese businessman Ren Zhiqiang report that he has disappeared. Ren had authored an essay blasting the CCP for its slow response to the outbreak, blaming its speech restrictions for exacerbating the crisis and calling President Xi a “power-hungry clown.”
Updated 8 months ago
15 Mar. 2020
Serbian President Asks for Chinese Aid
In a public address Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić blasts the European Union for failing to provide the country with aid and announces a personal appeal to President Xi for Chinese assistance, saying “the only country that can help us is China.” Serbia’s application for EU membership is still under consideration, and the CCP has long seen the nation as a way of making inroads in Europe.
Updated 8 months ago
Go Deeper
16 Mar. 2020
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.”
Updated 8 months ago
17 Mar. 2020
China Announces 'Health Silk Road'
Xinhua News announces that President Xi, as relayed in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, will send medical experts and supplies to Italy as part of his initiative to create a “Health Silk Road.” The supplies were, in fact, sold to the Italian government.
Updated 8 months ago

Xinhua Criticizes American Response
Xinhua News criticizes the American government for irresponsibility and incompetence while praising the “arduous effort” of the Chinese government which “provided the world with precious time” needed to organize its response.
Updated 8 months ago
18 Mar. 2020
China Revokes Press Credentials for Journalists from Major U.S. Newspapers
China revokes press credentials from Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post reporters.
Updated 8 months ago

21 Mar. 2020
China Sends Medical Supplies to Spain
A train bound for Spain departs from Yiwu, China, loaded with 110,000 medical masks and 776 protective suits. The train from Yiwu to Madrid takes seventeen days (a flight takes less than one), and Chinese factories produced 110 million facemasks in February alone.
Updated 8 months ago
Go Deeper
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.
Updated 8 months ago
23 Mar. 2020
Hubei Officials Relax Restrictions for Province, But Restrictions Persist for Wuhan
The Hubei Provincial government lifts restrictions on Hubei Province, with the exception of Wuhan.
Updated 8 months ago
25 Mar. 2020
Huawei Donates Masks to European Countries Considering 5G Contracts
Huawei donates two million masks to Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Greece—countries that are still considering 5G providers. The move is highly publicized by Huawei company officials.
Updated 8 months ago

26 Mar. 2020
Spain Reports Faulty Tests Sent by China
Spanish microbiologists report that tests sent to Spain by the CCP detected positive COVID-19 cases only 30% of the time.
Updated 8 months ago
Czech Republic Reports Faulty Test Kits Sent by China
Researchers from University Hospital Ostrava in the Czech Republic report that 80% of the coronavirus antibody test kits received from the Chinese government were defective, likely because antibody tests cannot detect the illness in its early stages.
Updated 8 months ago
29 Mar. 2020
Dutch Health Ministry Recalls Faulty Masks Sent by China
The Dutch Health Ministry recalls over 600,000 faulty medical masks received from the Chinese government.
Updated 8 months ago
31 Mar. 2020
China Revises Case Numbers to Include Asymptomatic Cases
The Chinese Health Commission admits it has been omitting asymptomatic cases of coronavirus to date and will begin including asymptomatic carriers in its daily counts.
Updated 8 months ago

April 2020
01 Apr. 2020
03 Apr. 2020
05 Apr. 2020
Merkel and Xi Reach Agreement on Medical Supplies
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaches an agreement with Xi Jinping to receive large-scale shipments of medical supplies from Chinese companies.
Updated 8 months ago
14 Apr. 2020
Washington Post Reports Previous Warnings about Wuhan Institute of Virology
The Washington Post reports that, in 2018, U.S. Embassy officials sent official warnings to Washington after visiting the Wuhan Institute of Virology. One cable concerned the Institute’s research on bat coronaviruses and warned that their potential transmission “represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic.”
Updated 8 months ago
15 Apr. 2020
20 Apr. 2020
Wuhan Institute of Virology Denies Responsibility
A spokesman for the Wuhan Institute of Virology denies any link to the pandemic, declaring that there is “absolutely no way” the virus originated in the lab.
Updated 8 months ago
24 Apr. 2020
30 Apr. 2020
U.S. Intelligence Community Confirms Investigation of Wuhan Institute of Virology
The U.S. Intelligence Community confirms that it is investigating whether the coronavirus may have originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Updated 8 months ago

May 2020
03 May 2020
DHS Report Says Chinese Government Hoarded Medical Supplies
A Department of Homeland Security report concludes that the Chinese government hoarded medical supplies during the virus’s early stages. It notes a pattern of increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies during December and January.
Updated 8 months ago
05 May 2020
China Daily Edits Out Reference to Wuhan in Op-ed by European Ambassadors
China Daily edits a reference to the virus’s origin in Wuhan out of an op-ed authored by 27 European ambassadors.
Updated 8 months ago
06 May 2020
Chinese Ambassador to United States Accuses U.S. of 'Always Blame China' Mindset
The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai accusing the United States of an “always blame China” mindset.
Updated 8 months ago

11 May 2020
Wuhan Reports New Cases
Wuhan health authorities report the city’s first cluster of cases since the city removed its lockdown order on April 8.
Updated 8 months ago
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.
Updated 8 months ago
12 May 2020
China Suspends Certain Trade with Australia, Threatens Additional Retaliation
China suspends beef imports from Australia’s four largest producers and threatens trade retaliation should Australia continue to push for an inquiry into the virus’s origins.
Updated 8 months ago
13 May 2020
CCP 'Considering Punitive Countermeasures' Against U.S. Individuals, Entities, and State Officials
The Global Times, a CCP media organ, reports that China is “considering punitive countermeasures against U.S. individuals, entities, and state officials,” such as Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and United States Senators Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton. Missouri passed legislation allowing coronavirus victims to sue the Chinese government for relief.
Updated 8 months ago
21 May 2020
CCP Orders Lockdown of Shulan after New Outbreak
The CCP orders a lockdown of the city of Shulan in Northeast China and replaces a number of local leaders after a new coronavirus outbreak. This new crop of cases reportedly exhibits different symptoms and a longer incubation period than did the first outbreak.
Updated 8 months ago
22 May 2020
New National Security Law Threatens Hong Kong
The National People’s Congress (NPC)—seen largely as a body to rubber stamp CCP decisions—introduces a new national security law for Hong Kong that bans “treason, secession, sedition and subversion.” Critics warn that the law could mean the end of Hong Kong’s autonomy as it has existed since 1997. The U.S. Department of State declared on May 27 that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China.
Updated 8 months ago

June 2020
22 Jun. 2020
Report Argues China's COVID-19 Caseload Undercounted
A RAND Corporation study concludes that “China’s reported COVID-19 caseload was undercounted by a factor of nearly 40.” The report uses outbound flight data and international infection rates to estimate the proportion of Chinese residents infected with the novel coronavirus.
Updated 8 months ago
29 Jun. 2020
July 2020
06 Jul. 2020
Chinese Law Professor Detained for Criticizing Xi
Xu Zhangrun, a law professor at Tsinghua University, was detained in his home and held for a week for publishing essays criticizing Xi Jinping’s handling of the outbreak.
Updated 7 months ago
10 Jul. 2020
Chinese Immunologist Claims CCP Covered Up Virus
Chinese immunologist Dr. Li-Meng Yan, who fled from Hong Kong to the United States out of fear of “being disappeared or killed,” claims that the Chinese Communist Party knew about the virus well before they publicly announced it.
Updated 7 months ago
14 Jul. 2020
Japan Defense Review Says China Spread Disinformation During Pandemic
Japan concludes in its annual defense white paper that, during the pandemic, China has been making "propaganda efforts in various manners, including the spread of disinformation, amid growing social uncertainties and confusion due to the spread of infection."
Updated 7 months ago
21 Jul. 2020
U.S. Accuses Two Hackers of Stealing Secrets From American Firms for China
The U.S. government indicts two Chinese hackers of targeting American firms researching coronavirus treatments and testing.
Updated 6 months ago
31 Jul. 2020
Hong Kong Postpones Legislative Elections for a Year
Hong Kong delays its legislative elections for a year due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Updated 6 months ago
August 2020
10 Aug. 2020
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.
Updated 4 months ago

September 2020
15 Sep. 2020
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.
Updated 4 months ago
October 2020
09 Oct. 2020
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.
Updated 4 months ago
November 2020
05 Nov. 2020
30 Nov. 2020
Leaked Documents Detail CCP Mishandling of the Virus
CNN obtains leaked internal documents from the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, detailing early mishandling of the virus accompanied by misleading public statements.
Updated 2 months ago
December 2020
08 Dec. 2020
CCP Advances New Virus Origin Story
With the WHO investigation into the virus’s origins approaching, Chinese diplomat Zha Liyou advances theory that the coronavirus arrived in Wuhan via foreign frozen food shipments.
Updated 2 months ago
January 2021
03 Jan. 2021
05 Jan. 2021
12 Jan. 2021
Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Proved Less Effective Than Initially Described in Brazil
Brazilian researchers report China’s Sinovac coronavirus vaccine to be only 50.38% effective in late-stage trials, nearly 30% lower than initially announced.
Updated 1 month ago

20 Jan. 2021
Chinese Media Attempts to Discredit Western Vaccines
Chinese scientists and media urge Europe and Australia to discontinue use of American vaccines, which they described as hastily developed and dangerous for elderly recipients.
Updated 1 month ago
February 2021
11 Feb. 2021
CCP Bans BBC
The CCP bans the BBC from China, citing “distorted coronavirus reports about Wuhan.”
Updated 2 weeks ago
12 Feb. 2021
Chinese Authorities Deny Access to Data to WHO Investigators
Chinese authorities refuse to give the WHO’s coronavirus origins investigation team raw, personalized data on early COVID-19 cases.
Updated 1 week ago
17 Feb. 2021
CCP Pressures German Pharmaceutical Manufacturer to Scrap Deal to Send Vaccines to Taiwan
Taiwanese health minister Chen Shih-Chung suggests that China pressured BioNTech, a German pharmaceuticals manufacturer, to call off a deal with the Taiwanese government that would have sent five million coronavirus vaccine doses to the island country.
Updated 1 week ago
23 Feb. 2021
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Says China's Viral Research Practices Put World at Risk
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top China policy adviser Miles Yu detail China's "reckless" viral research practices, which they say put the world at risk.
Please note that both Secretary Pompeo and Mr. Yu are fellows at Hudson Institute.
Updated 2 days ago
Key Events
-
Wuhan Doctors Suspect Human-to-Human Transmission
Dec 6, 2019 -
China Summons Doctors
Jan 1, 2020 -
Institutions Ordered Not to Publish Coronavirus Information
Jan 3, 2020 -
Wuhan Officials 'Stymie' Investigators
Jan 6, 2020 -
WHO Praises China's Response; Says Virus Does Not Spread between People
Jan 9, 2020 -
Human-to-Human Transmission Confirmed
Jan 20, 2020 -
First American Case
Jan 21, 2020 -
China Criticizes U.S. Travel Ban
Feb 1, 2020 -
Death of Li Wenliang
Feb 7, 2020 -
China Donates $8 Million to WHO
Mar 8, 2020 -
China Announces 'Health Silk Road'
Mar 17, 2020 -
China Revokes Press Credentials for Journalists from Major U.S. Newspapers
Mar 18, 2020 -
China Revises Case Numbers to Include Asymptomatic Cases
Mar 31, 2020 -
PLA Stages Naval Combat Exercises
Apr 3, 2020 -
U.S. Intelligence Community Confirms Investigation of Wuhan Institute of Virology
Apr 30, 2020 -
DHS Report Says Chinese Government Hoarded Medical Supplies
May 3, 2020
Research Manager: William Lombardo