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April 2012
- Six miners in Yunnan were hospitalised with symptoms very similar to a SARS-CoV-2 infection after catching coronavirus strain RaTG13/CoV4991. Three miners died. Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers collected tissue samples, and later visited the caves to acquire more material.
October 2014
- US government ceases funding of gain-of-function research that makes viruses more dangerous, pending further risk assessment.
November 2015
- Research into a lab-made coronavirus related to SARS-CoV stirred debate over whether the pandemic potential was worth the risk.
December 2017
- NIH restarts funding of Gain-of-Function research.
March 2018
- EcoHealth Alliance submits grant proposal to DARPA to insert furin cleavage sites into SARS-CoV viruses to more efficiently bind to human cells
January 2019
- Japan gripped by worst flu outbreak on record
March 2019
- SARS-CoV-2 genome detected in Spanish wastewater samples
May 2019
- China doubles purchases of PCR tests
- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies present in UK
June 2019
- Australia gripped by worst flu outbreak on record
July 2019
- EVALI 'outbreak' in Wisconsin with symptoms very similar to those of SARS-CoV-2 infections
- Unknown respiratory illness outbreak in Virginia nursing home sickens dozens of elderly residents with fever and pneumonia
August 2019
- Analysis finds indirect indicators that virus was present in Wuhan
- Fort Detrick biolab is shut down for three months due to breaches of containment
September 2019
- SARS-CoV-2 RNA present in Italian skin biopsies
- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies present in Italian blood samples
- Wuhan Institute of Virology takes it's pathogen database offline (containing 22,000 bat and rodent specimens)
- US shuts down the 'Predict' research programme, which sought to identify animal viruses that might infect humans
October 2019
- 2019 Military World Games held in Wuhan, with 9,308 athletes from 109 countries competing in 329 events over the span of 9 days. Athletes present describe getting sick, and Wuhan being a "ghost town".
- US Consulate General in Wuhan aware of a severe respiratory illness circulating
- Maryland hospitals receive an influx of patients suffering from respiratory illnesses. The majority tested negative for influenza.
- John Hopkins, WEF and the Gates Foundation host a simulation of a novel zoonotic coronavirus pandemic ("Event 201")
November 2019
- SARS-CoV-2 RNA present in human wastewater in Santa Catarina, Brazil
- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies present in France
- Unofficial Chinese "patient zero" traced back to November 17
- French thoracic scans show lung damage indicative of COVID infection
- US intelligence agencies allegedly alert NATO and Israel to an emerging disease in Wuhan
- US intelligence report claims three researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalised
December 2019
- Symptoms start for the official "patient zero" in China. This person had no connection to Huanan Seafood Market
- Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reports 27 cases of viral pneumonia on Dec 12th
- Professor Ian Lipkin learns of coronavirus outbreak in China in mid-December
- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies present in Norwegian blood samples]
- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies present in American blood samples
- SARS-CoV-2 RNA present in Milan and Turin wastewater samples (Italy)
- SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in blood and lungs of cadaver from Milan
- Virus likely present in Iran
- French man (with no history of travel) hospitalised for pneumonia. Samples later test positive for SARS-CoV-2
- SARS-CoV-2 detected by commerical laboratory (Vision Medicals) in Guangzhou on Dec 26th
- Dr. Zhang Jixian of Hubei reports the new virus to Chinese health authorities on Dec 27th
- Wuhan Health Commission alerts Chinese CDC and WHO on Dec 31st
January 2020
- First official case reported outside of China
- First official European case in France
- China confirms human to human transmission of SARS-CoV-2
- China announces lockdown of Wuhan
- SARS-CoV-2 RNA present in wastewater samples in Bologna, Italy
- SARS-CoV-2 RNA present in Spanish wastewater samples
- English death retroactively labeled as a COVID death
- Wuhan crematories observed to operating 24 hours a day instead of a typical 4 hours
- WHO declares public health emergency on Jan 30th
February 2020
- First official Italian case
- First official Spanish case
- Tencent News accidentally publishes COVID case figures much higher than the official Chinese numbers
May 2020
- 90% of 'uninfected' Canadians show antibody cross-reactivity to SARS-CoV-2, suggesting widespread prior immunity
