Copyright © 2015 Bert N. Langford (Images may be subject to copyright. Please send feedback)
Welcome to Our Generation USA!

This Page Covers
Natural and Man-made Disasters
​resulting in loss of life or limb, property, and/or livelihood including Global Pandemics like Covid-19.

For disasters emanating from Mankind's slow destruction of the Planet, see also
"Environment".

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Natural Disasters in the United States*
​* -- List of natural disasters in the United States 1816-Present in order of the number of fatalities
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YouTube Video of Hurricane Sandy that struck the East Coast, causing major damage in New York City and south along the New Jersey Shore, including the Atlantic City Boardwalk

Pictured: L-R: A tornado striking ground (Texas, F3 Tornado); a daytime wildfire in California and Lightning striking a tree.

Click here for a list natural disasters striking the United States.

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include:
A natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage, and typically leaves some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the affected population's ability to recover and also on the infrastructure available.

An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without vulnerable population. In a vulnerable area, however, such as Nepal during the 2015 earthquake, an earthquake can have disastrous consequences and leave lasting damage, requiring years to repair.

Click on any of the following hyperlinks for amplification:






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Man-made Disasters including a List by Category
(Note that any environmental hazards may also be covered under the separate webpage "Environment" and any military actions including wars and terrorism are covered under the separate webpage "Military")
YouTube Video Top 10 Man-Made Disasters
Pictured: LEFT: Chernobyl Disaster (1986 Explosion: The nuclear reactor after the disaster); RIGHT: British Petroleum Oil Spill (2010)

Anthropogenic hazards are those hazards caused directly or indirectly by human action or inaction. They can be contrasted with natural hazards.

Anthropogenic hazards may adversely affect humans, other organisms and biomes and eco-systems. The frequency and severity of hazards are key elements in some risk analysis methodologies.

​Hazards may also be described in relation to the impact that they have. Environmental hazards may be very different from human hazards. A hazard only exists if there is a pathway to exposure. As an example the center of the earth consists of molten material at very high temperatures which would be a severe hazard if contact was made with the core. However, there is no feasible way of making contact with the core, therefore the center of the earth currently poses no hazard.

For further amplification, click on any of the following:
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Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig, its Explosion and Oil Spill (2010) (See also: Under Popular Movies: "Deepwater Horizon" 2016)
YouTube Video about the Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon Explosion by National Wildlife
Pictured: Deepwater Horizon as TOP (L) semi-submersible drilling rig (R) Its 2010 Explosion, and (BOTTOM) Resulting Oil Spill

Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon (a later asset of Transocean), registered in Majuro, and leased to BP from 2001 until September 2013.

In September 2009, the rig drilled the deepest oil well in history at a vertical depth of 35,050 ft (10,683 m) and measured depth of 35,055 ft (10,685 m) in the Tiber Oil Field at Keathley Canyon block 102, approximately 250 miles (400 km) southeast of Houston, in 4,132 feet (1,259 m) of water.

On 20 April 2010, while drilling at the Macondo Prospect, an uncontrollable blowout caused an explosion on the rig that killed 11 crewmen and ignited a fireball visible from 40 miles (64 km) away. The fire was inextinguishable and, two days later, on 22 April, the Horizon sank, leaving the well gushing at the seabed and causing the largest oil spill in U.S. waters.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig: ​___________________________________________________________________________

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion was the April 20, 2010, explosion and subsequent fire on the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), which was owned and operated by Transocean and drilling for BP in the Macondo Prospect oil field about 40 miles (60 km) southeast off the Louisiana coast.

The explosion and subsequent fire resulted in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon and the deaths of 11 workers; 17 others were injured. The same blowout that caused the explosion also caused a massive offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the world, and the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig Explosion: ​___________________________________________________________________________

​​The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the BP oil disaster, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and the Macondo blowout) began on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Killing eleven people, it is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and estimated to be 8% to 31% larger in volume than the previous largest, the Ixtoc I oil spill.

The US Government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 million barrels (210 million US gal; 780,000 m3). After several failed efforts to contain the flow, the well was declared sealed on September 19, 2010. Reports in early 2012 indicated that the well site was still leaking.

A massive response ensued to protect beaches, wetlands and estuaries from the spreading oil utilizing skimmer ships, floating booms, controlled burns and 1.84 million US gallons (7,000 m3) of oil dispersant.

Due to the months-long spill, along with adverse effects from the response and cleanup activities, extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats and fishing and tourism industries was reported. In Louisiana, 4,900,000 pounds (2,200 t) of oily material was removed from the beaches in 2013, over double the amount collected in 2012.

Oil cleanup crews worked four days a week on 55 miles (89 km) of Louisiana shoreline throughout 2013. Oil continued to be found as far from the Macondo site as the waters off the Florida Panhandle and Tampa Bay, where scientists said the oil and dispersant mixture is embedded in the sand.

In 2013 it was reported that dolphins and other marine life continued to die in record numbers with infant dolphins dying at six times the normal rate. One study released in 2014 reported that tuna and amberjack that were exposed to oil from the spill developed deformities of the heart and other organs that would be expected to be fatal or at least life-shortening and another study found that cardiotoxicity might have been widespread in animal life exposed to the spill.

Numerous investigations explored the causes of the explosion and record-setting spill. The U.S. government September 2011 report pointed to defective cement on the well, faulting mostly BP, but also rig operator Transocean and contractor Halliburton. 

Earlier in 2011, a White House commission likewise blamed BP and its partners for a series of cost-cutting decisions and an inadequate safety system, but also concluded that the spill resulted from "systemic" root causes and "absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur".

In November 2012, BP and the United States Department of Justice settled federal criminal charges with BP pleading guilty to 11 counts of manslaughter, two misdemeanors, and a felony count of lying to Congress.

BP also agreed to four years of government monitoring of its safety practices and ethics, and the Environmental Protection Agency announced that BP would be temporarily banned from new contracts with the US government.

BP and the Department of Justice agreed to a record-setting $4.525 billion in fines and other payments. As of February 2013, criminal and civil settlements and payments to a trust fund had cost the company $42.2 billion.

In September 2014, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that BP was primarily responsible for the oil spill because of its gross negligence and reckless conduct.

In July 2015, BP agreed to pay $18.7 billion in fines, the largest corporate settlement in U.S. history.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks more more about the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill:
[End of 3-Part Series about Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Disaster]








List of Industrial Disasters
YouTube Video about the Chernobyl Disaster: How it Happened
YouTube Video: Deadly Amtrak train derails in Washington state
YouTube Video: Louisiana Chemical Plant Explosion
Pictured below (clockwise from upper left):
Canada – Deadly train derailment: At least 38 people were killed and 37 are still missing in the small town of Lac Megantic, Quebec, where a runaway train exploded in the downtown district on Saturday, July 6, 2013. Police suspect that some of the victims were vaporized in the explosion.
Louisiana chemical plant explosion: A June 13 explosion at a chemical plant in Louisiana killed one person and forced authorities to ask people as far as 2 miles away to stay inside to avoid exposure to potentially deadly fumes. At least 75 people were injured in the blast.
West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion: a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas killed 35 people, including 10 first responders to the fire that precipitated the explosion. 
Soviet Union – Chernobyl: The initial death toll was 32, from the 1986 explosion in the core of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. But the International Atomic Energy Agency estimates the total number of deaths from contamination will reach about 4,000. The disaster sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over hundreds of thousands of square miles of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The radioactive effects of the explosion were about 400 times more potent than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.
Above Pictures Courtesy of CNN, 12/1/2014 Article

This article lists notable industrial disasters, which are disasters caused by industrial companies, either by accident, negligence or incompetence. They are a form of industrial accident where great damage, injury or loss of life are caused.

Other disasters can also be considered industrial disasters, if their causes are rooted in the products or processes of industry. For example, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was made more severe due to the heavy concentration of lumber industry facilities, wood houses, and fuel and other chemicals in a small area.

The Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents is designed to protect people and the environment from industrial accidents. The Convention aims to prevent accidents from occurring, to reduce their frequency and severity, and to mitigate their effects.

The Convention addresses primarily industrial accidents in one country that affect the population and the environment of another country.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Industrial Disasters:







​Earthquakes including Man-Induced Earthquakes as well as a List of earthquakes striking in the United States
YouTube Video: Never before seen 1994 Northridge earthquake footage*
​* - 1994 Northridge (CA) Earthquake
Pictured: "The San Andreas Fault Is On The Brink Of A Devastating Earthquake"*
* -Forbes Magazine  May 8, 2016 Issue

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can be violent enough to toss people around and destroy whole cities.

The seismicity or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time.
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Earthquakes are measured using measurements from seismometers. The moment magnitude is the most common scale on which earthquakes larger than approximately 5 are reported for the entire globe.

The more numerous earthquakes smaller than magnitude 5 reported by national seismological observatories are measured mostly on the local magnitude scale, also referred to as the Richter magnitude scale.

These two scales are numerically similar over their range of validity. Magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes are mostly imperceptible or weak and magnitude 7 and over potentially cause serious damage over larger areas, depending on their depth.

The largest earthquakes in historic times have been of magnitude slightly over 9, although there is no limit to the possible magnitude. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale. The shallower an earthquake, the more damage to structures it causes, all else being equal.

At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacement of the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides, and occasionally volcanic activity.

In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event — whether natural or caused by humans — that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The epicenter is the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.

​Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more information about earthquakes, whether natural or caused by man:









Tropical Cyclone
YouTube Video: What is a Tropical Cyclone?
YouTube Video: Formation of a Tropical Cyclone
YouTube Video: Island of Puerto Rico 'destroyed' by Hurricane Maria
Pictured below: Hurricane Isabel (2003) as seen from orbit during Expedition 7 of the International Space Station. The eye, eyewall, and surrounding rainbands, characteristics of tropical cyclones in the narrow sense, are clearly visible in this view from space.

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain.

Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by different names, including hurricane,  typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.

A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean, and a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean; while in the south Pacific or Indian Ocean, comparable storms are referred to simply as "tropical cyclones" or "severe cyclonic storms".

"Tropical" refers to the geographical origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively over tropical seas. "Cyclone" refers to their winds moving in a circle, whirling round their central clear eye, with their winds blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The opposite direction of circulation is due to the Coriolis effect.

Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm water. They derive their energy through the evaporation of water from the ocean surface, which ultimately recondenses into clouds and rain when moist air rises and cools to saturation.

This energy source differs from that of mid-latitude cyclonic storms, such as nor'easters and European windstorms, which are fueled primarily by horizontal temperature contrasts. Tropical cyclones are typically between 100 and 2,000 km (62 and 1,243 mi) in diameter.

The strong rotating winds of a tropical cyclone are a result of the conservation of angular momentum imparted by the Earth's rotation as air flows inwards toward the axis of rotation.  As a result, they rarely form within 5° of the equator. Tropical cyclones are almost unknown in the South Atlantic due to a consistently strong wind shear and a weak Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Also, the African easterly jet and areas of atmospheric instability which give rise to cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, along with the Asian monsoon and Western Pacific Warm Pool, are features of the Northern Hemisphere and Australia.

Coastal regions are particularly vulnerable to the impact of a tropical cyclone, compared to inland regions. The primary energy source for these storms is warm ocean waters, therefore these forms are typically strongest when over or near water, and weaken quite rapidly over land.

Coastal damage may be caused by strong winds and rain, high waves (due to winds), storm surges (due to wind and severe pressure changes), and the potential of spawning tornadoes.

Tropical cyclones also draw in air from a large area—which can be a vast area for the most severe cyclones—and concentrate the precipitation of the water content in that air (made up from atmospheric moisture and moisture evaporated from water) into a much smaller area.

This continual replacement of moisture-bearing air by new moisture-bearing air after its moisture has fallen as rain, may cause extremely heavy rain and river flooding up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the coastline, far beyond the amount of water that the local atmosphere holds at any one time.

Though their effects on human populations are often devastating, tropical cyclones can relieve drought conditions. They also carry heat energy away from the tropics and transport it toward temperate latitudes, which may play an important role in modulating regional and global climate.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Tropical Cyclones:







Tornadoes including Tornado Alley
YouTube Video: The Most Powerful Tornado Recorded on Earth*
* -- Smithsonian Channel
YouTube Video of the Movie Trailer for "Twister" (1996)
YouTube Video: VIDEO INSIDE A TORNADO!!! Aurora, NE Tornado, June 17, 2009
Pictured below:
TOP: A beastly tornado drills across the landscape near Dodge City, KS on May 24, 2016. Image credit: Ian Livingston.
BOTTOM: Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.

The windstorm is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology to name a weather system with a low-pressure area in the center around which winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern.

Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, and they are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust beneath it. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour (180 km/h), are about 250 feet (80 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating.

The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 300 miles per hour (480 km/h), are more than two miles (3 km) in diameter, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km).

Various types of tornadoes include the multiple vortex tornado, landspout and waterspout.

Waterspouts are characterized by a spiraling funnel-shaped wind current, connecting to a large cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. They are generally classified as non-supercellular tornadoes that develop over bodies of water, but there is disagreement over whether to classify them as true tornadoes.

These spiraling columns of air frequently develop in tropical areas close to the equator, and are less common at high latitudes. Other tornado-like phenomena that exist in nature include the gustnado, dust devil, fire whirls, and steam devil.

Tornadoes occur in North America, particularly in the area of the United States known as tornado alley (see below), as well as in northern and east-central South America, Southern Africa, northwestern and southeast Europe, western and southeastern Australia, and New Zealand.

Tornadoes can be detected before or as they occur through the use of Pulse-Doppler radar by recognizing patterns in velocity and reflectivity data, such as hook echoes or debris balls, as well as through the efforts of storm spotters.

There are several scales for rating the strength of tornadoes. The Fujita scale rates tornadoes by damage caused and has been replaced in some countries by the updated Enhanced Fujita Scale.

An F0 or EF0 tornado, the weakest category, damages trees, but not substantial structures. An F5 or EF5 tornado, the strongest category, rips buildings off their foundations and can destroy large skyscrapers. The similar TORRO scale ranges from a T0 for extremely weak tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful known tornadoes. 

​Doppler radar data, photogrammetry, and ground swirl patterns (trochoidal marks) may also be analyzed to determine intensity and assign a rating.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Tornadoes: ___________________________________________________________________________

Tornado Alley

Tornado Alley is a colloquial term for the area of the United States (or by some definitions extending into Canada) where tornadoes are most frequent.

The term was first used in 1952 as the title of a research project to study severe weather in areas of the following states: 
  • Texas, 
  • Oklahoma, 
  • Kansas, 
  • South Dakota, 
  • Iowa, 
  • Illinois, 
  • Missouri, 
  • Nebraska, 
  • Colorado, 
  • North Dakota,
  • and Minnesota.

Tornado Alley  is largely a media-driven term although tornado climatologists distinguish peaks in activity in certain areas and storm chasers have long recognized the Great Plains tornado belt.

Although the official boundaries of Tornado Alley are not clearly defined, its core extends from northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, into Nebraska. Some research suggests that tornadoes are becoming more frequent in the northern parts of Tornado Alley where it reaches the Canadian prairies.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Tornado Alley:





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Aviation Accidents and Incidents, including a List of Crashes with at least 50 Fatalities
YouTube Video: Sully Sullenberger's Miracle on the Hudson
* -- Courtesy of Smithsonian Channel
YouTube Video: US Airways Flight 1549 New York City Hudson River Crash
Pictured below: US Airways Flight 1549 Crash: Evacuation of US Airways Flight 1549 as it floats on the Hudson Rive​r

Click here for a list of aircraft accidents and incidents resulting in at least 50 fatalities

In aviation, an accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until all such persons have disembarked, and in which:
  • a) a person is fatally or seriously injured,
  • b) the aircraft sustains significant damage or structural failure,
  • or c) the aircraft goes missing or becomes completely inaccessible. 

Annex 13 defines an incident as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operation.

A hull loss occurs if an aircraft is destroyed, damaged beyond repair, lost, or becomes completely inaccessible.

​The first fatal aviation accident was the crash of a Rozière balloon near Wimereux, France, on June 15, 1785, killing the balloon's inventor, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, and the other occupant, Pierre Romain.

The first involving a powered aircraft was the crash of a Wright Model A aircraft at Fort Myer, Virginia, in the United States on September 17, 1908, injuring its co-inventor and pilot, Orville Wright, and killing the passenger, Signal Corps Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge.

Click on the following blue hyperlinks for more about Aviation Accident and Incidents:
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Mining Accidents
YouTube Video: 2010: Chilean miners rescued*
* -- more about 2010 Chilean Mine Disaster
YouTube Video: Safety Procedures for Pennsylvania Coal Miners
Pictured below: THE AUTOPSY OF A COAL MINE COLLAPSE

​A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.

Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although hard rock mining is not immune from accidents.

Coal mining is considered much more hazardous than hard rock mining due to flat-lying rock strata, generally incompetent rock, the presence of methane gas, and coal dust. Most of the deaths these days occur in developing countries, and rural parts of developed countries.

Mining accidents can have a variety of causes, including leaks of poisonous gases such as hydrogen sulfide or explosive natural gases, especially firedamp or methane, dust explosions, collapsing of mine stopes, mining-induced seismicity, flooding, or general mechanical errors from improperly used or malfunctioning mining equipment (such as safety lamps or electrical equipment).

Use of improper explosives underground can also cause methane and coal dust explosions.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Mining Accidents:







List of Disasters in the United States by Death Toll
YouTube Video of 9/11/2001 Terrorist Attack
YouTube Video: Hurricane Maria wreaks destruction in Puerto Rico
​Pictured below Clockwise from Upper Left: San Francisco 1906 Earthquake ; Hurricane Maria (2017): Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor (1991); 9/11/2001 Terrorist Attacks

This list of United States disasters by death toll is a list of notable disasters which occurred either in the United States, at diplomatic missions of the United States, or incidents outside of the United States in which a number of U.S. citizens were killed. It does not include death tolls from the American Civil War.

Due to inflation, the monetary damage estimates are not comparable. Unless otherwise noted, the year given is the year in which the currency's valuation was calculated. This list is not comprehensive in general and epidemics are not included.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Disasters in the United States:







2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic and its (continuing) Toll on Human Life
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, declared to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and recognized as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 10 April 2020, approximately 1.63 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 210 countries and territories, resulting in approximately 98,400 deaths. About 365,000 people have recovered. The case fatality rate was estimated to be 4% in China, but varies significantly between countries.

The virus is mainly spread between people during close contact, often via small droplets produced during coughing, sneezing, or talking. While these droplets are produced when breathing out, they usually fall to the ground or surfaces rather than being infectious over large distances. 

People may also become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then their face. The virus can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours. Coronavirus is most contagious during the first three days after onset of symptoms, although spread may be possible before symptoms appear and in later stages of the disease. Common symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Complications may include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The time from exposure to onset of symptoms is typically around five days, but may range from two to fourteen days. There is no known vaccine or specific antiviral treatment.

Primary treatment is symptomatic and supportive therapy.

Recommended preventive measures include hand washing, covering one's mouth when coughing, maintaining distance from other people, and monitoring and self-isolation for people who suspect they are infected. Authorities worldwide have responded by implementing travel restrictions, quarantines, curfews, workplace hazard controls, and facility closures.

The pandemic has led to severe global socioeconomic disruption, the postponement or cancellation of sporting, religious, political and cultural events, and widespread shortages of supplies exacerbated by panic buying. 

Schools and universities have closed either on a nationwide or local basis in 193 countries, affecting approximately 99.4 percent of the world's student population.

Misinformation about the virus has spread online, and there have been incidents of xenophobia and discrimination against Chinese people, other people of East and Southeast Asian descent and appearance, and others from areas with significant virus cases.

Due to reduced travel and closures of heavy industry, there has been a decrease in air pollution and carbon emissions.


Epidemiology:
Main articles: 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic by country and territory, cases, and deaths

​Health authorities in Wuhan, China (the capital of Hubei province) reported a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause on 31 December 2019, and an investigation was launched in early January 2020.

The cases mostly had links to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market and so the virus is thought to have a zoonotic origin. The virus that caused the outbreak is known as SARS-CoV-2, a newly discovered virus closely related to bat coronaviruses, pangolin coronaviruses, and SARS-CoV.

The earliest known person with symptoms was later discovered to have fallen ill on 1 December 2019, and that person did not have visible connections with the later wet market cluster. Of the early cluster of cases reported in December 2019, two-thirds were found to have a link with the market.

On 13 March 2020, an unverified report from the South China Morning Post suggested that a case traced back to 17 November 2019, in a 55-year-old from Hubei province, may have been the first.

On 26 February 2020, the WHO reported that, as new cases reportedly declined in China but suddenly increased in Italy, Iran, and South Korea, the number of new cases outside China had exceeded the number of new cases within China for the first time.

There may be substantial under-reporting of cases, particularly among those with milder symptoms. By 26 February, relatively few cases had been reported among youths, with those 19 and under making up 2.4% of cases worldwide.

The United Kingdom's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, estimated that 60% of the British population would need to become infected before effective herd immunity could be achieved.

Cases

Cases refers to the number of people who have been tested for COVID-19, and whose test has been confirmed positive according to official protocols. As of 23 March, no country had tested more than 3% of its population, and many countries have had official policies not to test those with only mild symptoms, such as Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland. 

A study published on 16 March found that in China, up to 23 January, an estimated 86% of COVID-19 infections had not been detected, and that these undocumented infections were the infection source for 79% of documented cases. 

A statistical analysis published 30 March estimated that numbers of infections in Italy were considerably greater than the reported cases. The initial estimates of the basic reproduction number (R0) for COVID-19 were 1.4 to 2.4. A study published by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded that it may be 5.7.

​Deaths:
See also: List of deaths from the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

Most people with COVID-19 recover. For those who do not, the time from development of symptoms to death has been between 6 and 41 days, with the most common being 14 days. As of 10 April 2020, approximately 98,400 deaths had been attributed to COVID-19. In China, as of 5 February about 80% of deaths were in those over 60, and 75% had pre-existing health conditions including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Official tallies of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic generally refer to dead people who tested positive for COVID according to official protocols. The number of true fatalities from COVID-19 may be much higher, as it may not include people who die without testing - e.g. at home, in nursing homes, etc.

Partial data from Italy found that the number of excess deaths during the pandemic exceeded the official COVID death tally by a factor of 4-5x. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged "We know that [the stated death toll] is an underestimation", a statement corroborated by anecdotal reports of undercounting in the U.S. Such underestimation often occurs in pandemics, such as the 2009 H1N1 swine flu epidemic.

The first confirmed death was in Wuhan on 9 January 2020. The first death outside mainland China occurred on 1 February in the Philippines, and the first death outside Asia was in France on 14 February. 

By 28 February, outside mainland China, more than a dozen deaths each were recorded in Iran, South Korea, and Italy. By 13 March, more than forty countries and territories had reported deaths, on every continent except Antarctica.

Several measures are commonly used to quantify mortality. These numbers vary by region and over time, and are influenced by the volume of testing, healthcare system quality, treatment options, time since initial outbreak, and population characteristics such as age, sex, and overall health.

The death-to-case ratio reflects the number of deaths divided by the number of diagnosed cases within a given time interval. Based on Johns Hopkins University statistics, the global death-to-case ratio is 6.0% (98,401/1,631,310) as of 10 April 2020. The number varies by region. 

In China, estimates for the death-to-case ratio decreased from 17.3% (for those with symptom onset 1–10 January 2020) to 0.7% (for those with symptom onset after 1 February 2020).

Other measures include the case fatality rate (CFR), which reflects the percent of diagnosed people who die from a disease, and the infection fatality rate (IFR), which reflects the percent of infected (diagnosed and undiagnosed) who die from a disease. These statistics are not timebound and follow a specific population from infection through case resolution.

​A number of academics have attempted to calculate these numbers for specific populations. The University of Oxford's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine estimates that the infection fatality rate for the pandemic as a whole is between 0.1% and 0.39%. The upper estimate of this range is consistent with the results from the first random testing for COVID-19 in Germany, and a statistical study analysing the impact of testing on CFR estimates.

​Duration:

The WHO asserts that the pandemic can be controlled. The peak and ultimate duration of the outbreak are uncertain and may differ by location. Maciej Boni of Penn State University stated, "Left unchecked, infectious outbreaks typically plateau and then start to decline when the disease runs out of available hosts. But it's almost impossible to make any sensible projection right now about when that will be". 

The Chinese government's senior medical adviser Zhong Nanshan argued that "it could be over by June" if all countries can be mobilized to follow the WHO's advice on measures to stop the spread of the virus. 

On 17 March, Adam Kucharski of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine stated that SARS-CoV-2 "is going to be circulating, potentially for a year or two". According to the Imperial College study led by Neil Ferguson, physical distancing and other measures will be required "until a vaccine becomes available (potentially 18 months or more)".

William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University stated, "I think it's unlikely that this coronavirus—because it's so readily transmissible—will disappear completely" and it "might turn into a seasonal disease, making a comeback every year". The virulence of the comeback would depend on herd immunity and the extent of mutation.

​Signs and symptoms:
Main article: Coronavirus disease 2019

​Symptoms of COVID-19 can be relatively non-specific and infected people may be asymptomatic.

The two most common symptoms are fever (88%) and dry cough (68%). Less common symptoms include fatigue, respiratory sputum production (phlegm), loss of the sense of smell, shortness of breath, muscle and joint pain, sore throat, headache, chills, vomiting, hemoptysis, diarrhea, or cyanosis.

The WHO states that approximately one person in six becomes seriously ill and has difficulty breathing. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists emergency symptoms as:
  • difficulty breathing,
  • persistent chest pain or pressure,
  • sudden confusion,
  • difficulty waking,
  • and bluish face or lips.

Immediate medical attention is advised if the above symptoms are present.

Further development of the disease can lead to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, septic shock and death. Some of those infected may be asymptomatic, with no clinical symptoms but with test results that confirm infection, so researchers have issued advice that those with close contact to confirmed infected people should be closely monitored and examined to rule out infection.  

Chinese estimates of the asymptomatic ratio range from few to 44%. The usual incubation period (the time between infection and symptom onset) ranges from one to 14 days; it is most commonly five days.

As an example of uncertainty, the estimate of the fraction of people with COVID-19 who lost their sense of smell was initially 30% and later fell to 15%.

Cause:

Transmission:
Further information: Transmission (medicine), Fomite, and Contact tracing

​Some details about how the disease is spread are still being determined. The disease is believed to be primarily spread during close contact and by small droplets produced during coughing, sneezing, or talking; with close contact being within 1 to 2 metres (3 to 6 feet).

Studies have found that an uncovered coughing can lead to droplets travelling up to 4.5 metres (15 feet) to 8.2 meters (27 feet). Some have proposed that the virus may also be transmitted by small droplets that stay for more prolonged periods in the air, that may be generated during speech.

Respiratory droplets may also be produced during breathing out, including when talking, though the virus is not generally airborne. The droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

Some medical procedures such as intubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may cause respiratory secretions to be aerosolized and thus result in airborne spread. It may also spread when one touches a contaminated surface, including skin, and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. 

While there are concerns it may spread by faeces, this risk is believed to be low. The Government of China denied the possibility of faecal-oral transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

The virus is most contagious during the first three days after onset of symptoms, although spread may be possible before symptoms appear and in later stages of the disease. People have tested positive for the disease up to three days before onset of symptoms suggesting transmission is possible before developing significant symptoms. 

Only few reports of laboratory-confirmed asymptomatic cases exist, but asymptomatic transmission has been identified by some countries during contact tracing investigations. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) states that while it is not entirely clear how easily the disease spreads, one person generally infects two to three others.

The virus survives for hours to days on surfaces. Specifically, the virus was found to be detectable for up to three days on plastic (polypropylene) and 304 stainless steel, for one day on cardboard, and for up to four hours on copper. This, however, varies based on the humidity and temperature.

Pets and other animals have tested positive for COVID-19. There is no evidence animals can pass the virus on to humans, though British authorities advise washing one's hands after contact with animals, like after contact with other surfaces infected people could have touched.

​Virology:
Main article: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel virus, first isolated from three people with pneumonia connected to the cluster of acute respiratory illness cases in Wuhan. All features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus occur in related coronaviruses in nature.

Outside the human body, the virus is killed by household soap, which dissolves its protective envelope.

SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to the original SARS-CoV.[412] It is thought to have a zoonotic origin. Genetic analysis has revealed that the coronavirus genetically clusters with the genus Betacoronavirus, in subgenus Sarbecovirus (lineage B) together with two bat-derived strains. It is 96% identical at the whole genome level to other bat coronavirus samples (BatCov RaTG13).

In February 2020, Chinese researchers found that there is only one amino acid difference in certain parts of the genome sequences between the viruses from pangolins and those from humans. Whole-genome comparison to date has found at most 92% of genetic material shared between pangolin coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2, which is insufficient to prove pangolins to be the intermediate host.

​Diagnosis:
Main article: COVID-19 testing

​Infection by the virus can be provisionally diagnosed on the basis of symptoms, though confirmation is ultimately by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) of infected secretions or CT imaging.

A study comparing PCR to CT in Wuhan has suggested that CT is significantly more sensitive than PCR, though less specific, with many of its imaging features overlapping with other pneumonias and disease processes. As of March 2020, the American College of Radiology recommends that "CT should not be used to screen for or as a first-line test to diagnose COVID-19".

Viral testing:

The WHO has published several RNA testing protocols for SARS-CoV-2, with the first issued on 17 January. The test uses real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). The test can be done on respiratory or blood samples.

Results are generally available within a few hours to days. Generally this test is carried out on a nasopharyngeal swab though a throat swab may also be used.

A number of laboratories and companies are developing serological tests, which detect antibodies. As of 6 April 2020, none of these has been proved sufficiently accurate to be approved for widespread use. In the US a serological test developed by Cellex has been approved for emergency use by certified laboratories only.

Imaging:

Characteristic imaging features on radiographs and computed tomography (CT) of people who are symptomatic include asymmetric peripheral ground glass opacities and absent pleural effusions. The Italian Radiological Society is compiling an international online database of imaging findings for confirmed cases.

Due to overlap with other infections such as adenovirus, imaging without confirmation by PCR is of limited specificity in identifying COVID-19. A large study in China compared chest CT results to PCR and demonstrated that though imaging is less specific for the infection, it is faster and more sensitive, suggesting its consideration as a screening tool in epidemic areas. 

Artificial intelligence-based convolutional neural networks have been developed to detect imaging features of the virus with both radiographs and CT.

​Prevention:
Further information: Workplace hazard controls for COVID-19 and Pandemic prevention

Strategies for preventing transmission of the disease include maintaining overall good personal hygiene, washing hands, avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands, and coughing or sneezing into a tissue and putting the tissue directly into a waste container. Those who may already have the infection have been advised to wear a surgical mask in public. Physical distancing measures are also recommended to prevent transmission.

Many governments have restricted or advised against all non-essential travel to and from countries and areas affected by the outbreak. However, the virus has reached the stage of community spread in large parts of the world. This means that the virus is spreading within communities, and some community members don't know where or how they were infected.

Health care providers taking care of someone who may be infected are recommended to use standard precautions, contact precautions, and eye protection.

Contact tracing is an important method for health authorities to determine the source of an infection and to prevent further transmission. The use of location data from mobile phones by governments for this purpose has prompted privacy concerns, with Amnesty International and over 100 other organizations issuing a statement calling for limits on this kind of surveillance.

Various mobile apps have been implemented or proposed for voluntary use, and as of 7 April 2020, over a dozen expert groups were working on privacy-friendly solutions, such as using Bluetooth to log a user's proximity to other cellphones. Users then receive a message if they've been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Misconceptions are circulating about how to prevent infection; for example, rinsing the nose and gargling with mouthwash are not effective. There is no COVID-19 vaccine, though many organizations are working to develop one.

Hand washing:
Main article: Hand washing

Hand washing is recommended to prevent the spread of the disease. The CDC recommends that people wash hands often with soap and water for at least twenty seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty; before eating; and after blowing one's nose, coughing, or sneezing. This is because outside the human body, the virus is killed by household soap, which bursts its protective bubble.

CDC further recommended using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol by volume when soap and water are not readily available. The WHO advises people to avoid touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

Surface cleaning:

Surfaces may be decontaminated with a number of solutions (within one minute of exposure to the disinfectant for a stainless steel surface), including 62–71% ethanol, 50–100% isopropanol, 0.1% sodium hypochlorite, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide, and 0.2–7.5% povidone-iodine.

Other solutions, such as benzalkonium chloride and chrohexidine gluconate, are less effective. The CDC recommends that if a COVID case is suspected or confirmed at a facility such as an office or day care, all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines used by the ill persons, should be disinfected.

Face masks and respiratory hygiene:

Health organizations recommended that people cover their mouth and nose with a bent elbow or a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and disposing of any tissue immediately.

Surgical masks are recommended for those who may be infected, as wearing a mask can limit the volume and travel distance of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking, sneezing, and coughing.

The WHO has issued instructions on when and how to use masks. According to Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, "Wearing a mask can reduce the propensity [of] people to touch their faces, which is a major source of infection without proper hand hygiene."

Masks have also been recommended for use by those taking care of someone who may have the disease. The WHO has recommended the wearing of masks by healthy people only if they are at high risk, such as those who are caring for a person with COVID-19, although they also acknowledge that wearing masks may help people avoid touching their face.

Several countries have started to encourage the use of face masks by members of the public. In the U.S., the CDC recommends wearing non-medical face mask made out of cloth.

China has specifically recommended the use of disposable medical masks by healthy members of the public, particularly when coming into close contact (1 meter (3 ft) or less) with other people. 

Hong Kong recommends wearing a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. Thailand's health officials are encouraging people to make cloth facemasks at home and wash them daily. The Czech Republic and Slovakia banned going out in public without wearing a mask or covering one's nose and mouth.

On 16 March, Vietnam requested everyone to wear a face mask when going to public areas in order to protect themselves and others.

The Austrian government mandated that everyone entering a grocery store must wear a face mask. Israel has asked all residents to wear face masks when in public. Taiwan, which has been producing ten million masks per day since mid-March, required passengers on trains and intercity buses to wear face masks on 1 April. 

Panama has made it obligatory to wear a face mask whenever going outside, while also recommending the manufacture of a homemade face mask for those who cannot purchase face masks. 

Face masks have also been widely used in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Social distancing:
Main article: Social distancing
​
​Social distancing (also known as physical distancing) includes infection control actions intended to slow the spread of disease by minimizing close contact between individuals.

Methods include quarantines; travel restrictions; and the closing of schools, workplaces, stadiums, theatres, or shopping centres. Individuals may apply social distancing methods by staying at home, limiting travel, avoiding crowded areas, using no-contact greetings, and physically distancing themselves from others. 

Many governments are now mandating or recommending social distancing in regions affected by the outbreak. The maximum gathering size recommended by US government bodies and health organizations was swiftly reduced from 250 people (if there was no known COVID-19 spread in a region) to 50 people, and later to 10 people. On 22 March 2020, Germany banned public gatherings of more than two people.

Older adults and those with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease, hypertension, and compromised immune systems face increased risk of serious illness and complications and have been advised by the CDC to stay home as much as possible in areas of community outbreak.

In late March 2020, the WHO and other health bodies began to replace the use of the term "social distancing" with "physical distancing", to clarify that the aim is to reduce physical contact while maintaining social connections, either virtually or at a distance. The use of the term "social distancing" had led to implications that people should engage in complete social isolation, rather than encouraging them to stay in contact with others through alternative means.

Some authorities have issued sexual health guidelines for use during the pandemic. These include recommendations to only have sex with someone you live with, who does not have the virus or symptoms of the virus.

Self-isolation:

Self-isolation at home has been recommended for those diagnosed with COVID-19 and those who suspect they have been infected. Health agencies have issued detailed instructions for proper self-isolation.

Many governments have mandated or recommended self-quarantine for entire populations living in affected areas. The strongest self-quarantine instructions have been issued to those in high risk groups.

​Those who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and those who have recently traveled to a country or region with widespread transmission have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days from the time of last possible exposure.

Containment and mitigation:
See also: flatten the curve

​Strategies in the control of an outbreak are containment or suppression, and mitigation. Containment is undertaken in the early stages of the outbreak and aims to trace and isolate those infected as well as introduce other measures of infection control and vaccinations to stop the disease from spreading to the rest of the population.

When it is no longer possible to contain the spread of the disease, efforts then move to the mitigation stage: measures are taken to slow the spread and mitigate its effects on the healthcare system and society.

A combination of both containment and mitigation measures may be undertaken at the same time. Suppression requires more extreme measures so as to reverse the pandemic by reducing the basic reproduction number to less than 1.

Part of managing an infectious disease outbreak is trying to decrease the epidemic peak, known as flattening the epidemic curve. This decreases the risk of health services being overwhelmed and provides more time for vaccines and treatments to be developed.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions that may manage the outbreak include personal preventive measures, such as hand hygiene, wearing face-masks, and self-quarantine; community measures aimed at physical distancing such as closing schools and cancelling mass gathering events; community engagement to encourage acceptance and participation in such interventions; as well as environmental measures such surface cleaning.

More drastic actions aimed at containing the outbreak were taken in China once the severity of the outbreak became apparent, such as quarantining entire cities and imposing strict travel bans. 

Other countries also adopted a variety of measures aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. South Korea introduced mass screening and localized quarantines, and issued alerts on the movements of infected individuals. Singapore provided financial support for those infected who quarantined themselves and imposed large fines for those who failed to do so. Taiwan increased face mask production and penalized hoarding of medical supplies.

Simulations for Great Britain and the United States show that mitigation (slowing but not stopping epidemic spread) and suppression (reversing epidemic growth) have major challenges. Optimal mitigation policies might reduce peak healthcare demand by 2/3 and deaths by half, but still result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and health systems being overwhelmed.

Suppression can be preferred but needs to be maintained for as long as the virus is circulating in the human population (or until a vaccine becomes available, if that comes first), as transmission otherwise quickly rebounds when measures are relaxed. Long-term intervention to suppress the pandemic causes social and economic costs.

Management:
Further information: Coronavirus disease 2019 § Management, and Pandemic § Management

Treatment:

There are no specific antiviral medications approved for COVID-19, but development efforts are underway, including testing of existing medications. Taking over-the-counter cold medications, drinking fluids, and resting may help alleviate symptoms. Depending on the severity, oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, and breathing support may be required. 

The use of steroids may worsen outcomes. Several compounds that were previously approved for treatment of other viral diseases are being investigated for use in treating COVID-19. The WHO also stated that some "traditional and home remedies" can provide relief of the symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-19.

Health care capacity:
See also: Raise the line, list of countries by hospital beds, and COVID-19 related shortages

Increasing capacity and adapting healthcare for the needs of COVID-19 patients is described by the WHO as a fundamental outbreak response measure.

The ECDC and the European regional office of the WHO have issued guidelines for hospitals and primary healthcare services for shifting of resources at multiple levels, including focusing laboratory services towards COVID-19 testing, cancelling elective procedures whenever possible, separating and isolating COVID-19 positive patients, and increasing intensive care capabilities by training personnel and increasing the number of available ventilators and beds.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic:
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Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic Pictured below: What We Know About The Economic Impact Of The Coronavirus And How That Should Guide Policy (Forbes, 3/19/2020)
The socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the COVID-19 disease itself and efforts to quarantine it.

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread around the globe, concerns have shifted from supply-side manufacturing issues to decreased business in the services sector. The coronavirus pandemic caused the largest global recession in history, with more than a third of the global population at the time being placed on lockdown.

Supply shortages are expected to affect a number of sectors due to panic buying, increased usage of goods to fight the pandemic, and disruption to factories and logistics in mainland China, in addition, it also led to price gouging. There have been widespread reports of supply shortages of pharmaceuticals, with many areas seeing panic buying and consequent shortages of food and other essential grocery items. The technology industry, in particular, has been warning about delays to shipments of electronic goods.

Global stock markets fell on 24 February 2020 due to a significant rise in the number of COVID-19 cases outside mainland China. By 28 February 2020, stock markets worldwide saw their largest single-week declines since the 2008 financial crisis.

Global stock markets crashed in March 2020, with falls of several percent in the world's major indices. As the pandemic spreads, global conferences and events across technology, fashion, and sports are being cancelled or postponed. While the monetary impact on the travel and trade industry is yet to be estimated, it is likely to be in the billions and increasing.

By 16 March, news reports emerged indicating that the effect on the United States economy would be worse than previously thought.

Background:
​
The pandemic coincided with the Chunyun, a major travel season associated with the Chinese New Year holiday. A number of events involving large crowds were cancelled by national and regional governments, including annual New Year festivals, with private companies also independently closing their shops and tourist attractions such as Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland.

Many Lunar New Year events and tourist attractions were closed to prevent mass gatherings, including the Forbidden City in Beijing and traditional temple fairs. In 24 of China's 31 provinces, municipalities and regions, authorities extended the New Year's holiday to 10 February, instructing most workplaces not to re-open until that date. These regions represented 80% of the country's GDP and 90% of exports. 

Hong Kong raised its infectious disease response level to the highest and declared an emergency, closing schools until March and cancelling its New Year celebrations.

The demand for personal protection equipment has risen 100-fold, according to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom. This demand has led to an increase in prices of up to twenty times the normal price and also induced delays on the supply of medical items for four to six months.

Political impacts:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on politics

A number of provincial-level administrators of the Communist Party of China (CPC) were dismissed over their handling of the quarantine efforts in Central China, a sign of discontent with the political establishment's response to the outbreak in those regions. Some experts believe this is likely in a move to protect Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping from people's anger over the coronavirus pandemic. Some commentators have suggested that outcry over the disease could be a rare protest against the CPC.

Additionally, protests in the special administrative region of Hong Kong have strengthened due to fears of immigration from mainland China. Taiwan has also voiced concern over being included in any travel ban involving the People's Republic of China (PRC) due to the "one-China policy" and its disputed political status.

Further afield, the treasurer of Australia was unable to keep a pledge to maintain a fiscal surplus due to the effect of the coronavirus on the economy. A number of countries have been using the outbreak to show their support to China, such as when Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia made a special visit to China with an aim to showcase Cambodia's support to China in fighting the outbreak of the epidemic.

The United States president Donald Trump was criticized for his response to the pandemic. He was accused of making several misleading or false claims, of failing to provide adequate information, and of downplaying the pandemic's significance. Trump was also criticized for having closed down the global health security unit of the United States National Security Council, which was founded to prepare the government for potential pandemics.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been heavily affected by the virus, with at least two dozen members (approximately 10%) of the Iranian legislature being infected, as well as at least 15 other current or former top government officials, including the vice-president. Advisers to Ali Khamenei and Mohammad Javad Zarif have died from the disease. The spread of the virus has raised questions about the future survival of the regime.

Impact on sovereignty:

Geoeconomics and country risk experts have insisted on the potential erosion of political and economic sovereignty that may affect some already enfeebled countries like Italy: Edward Luttwak has called it "the virus of truth” (interview with La7 TV aired on 10 March 2020). M. Nicolas Firzli, director of the World Pensions Council (WPC) and advisory board member at the World Bank Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF), refers to it as “the Greater Financial Crisis”, that will “bring to the surface pent-up financial and geopolitical dysfunctions … [many] national economies will suffer as a result, and their political sovereignty itself may be severely eroded.” 

Civil rights and democracy:

Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, and Yemen banned the printing and distribution of newspapers. On 30 March, the parliament of Hungary granted Prime Minister Viktor Orban the power to rule by decree for an indefinite period.

Educational impact: See later topic below.

​Coronavirus and income

Low income individuals are more likely to contract the coronavirus and to die from it. In both New York City and Barcelona, low income neighborhoods are disproportionately hit by coronavirus cases.

Hypotheses for why this is the case include that poorer families are more likely to live in crowded housing and work in the low skill jobs, such as supermarkets and elder care, which are deemed essential during the crisis. In the United States, millions of low-income people may lack access to health care due to being uninsured or underinsured. Many low income workers in service jobs have become unemployed.

Religious impact:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on religion

The pandemic has impacted religion in various ways, including the cancellation of the worship services of various faiths, the closure of Sunday Schools, as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages surrounding observances and festivals.

Many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have offered worship through livestream amidst the pandemic. Relief wings of religious organisations have dispatched medical supplies and other aid to affected areas.

Adherents of many religions have gathered together to pray for an end to the pandemic, for those affected by it, as well as for the God they believe in to give physicians and scientists the wisdom to combat the disease; in the United States, Trump designated 15 March 2020 as a National Day of Prayer for "God’s healing hand to be placed on the people of our Nation".

Economic impact:
Main article: Coronavirus recession

Coronavirus recession refers to an economic recession which may happen across the world economy in 2020 due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.
​
Some economists suggest that China's economy may contract for the first time since the 1970s. Caixin's purchasing managers index for the services sector of China's economy fell to 26.5 in February 2020, the lowest figure recorded since the survey's advent in 2005, and car sales dropped 86% in China in February.

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, the stock markets have experienced their worst crash since 1987. Many countries with large economies, such as Italy and Spain, have enacted quarantine policies. This has led to the disruption of business activities in many economic sectors.

Financial markets:
Main articles: Financial impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic and 2020 stock market crash See also: 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war

Economic turmoil associated with the coronavirus pandemic has wide-ranging and severe impacts upon financial markets, including stock, bond and commodity (including crude oil and gold) markets.

Major events included the Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war that resulted in a collapse of crude oil prices and a stock market crash in March 2020. The United Nations Development Programme expects a US$220 billion reduction in revenue in developing countries, and expects COVID-19's economic impact to last for months or even years. Some expect natural gas prices to fall.

Manufacturing:

New vehicle sales in the United States have declined by 40%. The American Big Three have all shut down their US factories. The German automotive industry is coming into the crisis after having already suffered from the Dieselgate-scandal, as well as competition from electric cars.

The arts, entertainment and sport:

The arts (general)
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage

The epidemic had a sudden and substantial impact on the arts and cultural heritage (GLAM) sectors worldwide. The global health crisis and the uncertainly resulting from it profoundly affected organisations' operations as well as individuals – both employed and independent – across the sector.

By March 2020, across the world most cultural institutions had been indefinitely closed (or at least with their services radically curtailed) exhibitions, events and performances cancelled or postponed. Many individuals temporarily or permanently lost contracts or employment with varying degrees of warning and financial assistance available.

Equally, financial stimulus from governments and charities for artists, have provided greatly differing levels of support, depending on the sector and the country. In countries such as Australia, where the arts contributed to about 6.4% of GDP, effects on individuals and the economy have been significant.

Cinema:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on cinema

The pandemic has impacted the film industry. Across the world and to varying degrees, cinemas have been closed, festivals have been cancelled or postponed, and film releases have been moved to future dates. As cinemas closed, the global box office dropped by billions of dollars, while streaming became more popular and the stock of Netflix rose; the stock of film exhibitors dropped dramatically.

Almost all blockbusters to be released after the March opening weekend were postponed or cancelled around the world, with film productions also halted. Massive losses in the industry have been predicted.

Sport:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on sports

Most major sporting events were cancelled or postponed, including the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were postponed until 2021 on 24 March 2020.

Television:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on television

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has shut down or delayed production of television programs in several countries.

Video games:
Main article: Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the video game industry

The pandemic also affected the video game sector to a smaller degree. As the outbreak appeared in China first, supply chains affected the manufacturing and production of some video game consoles, delaying their releases and making current supplies scarcer. As the outbreak and pandemic spread, several keystone trade events, including E3 2020, were cancelled over concerns of further spread.

The economic impact on the video game sector is not expected to be as large as in film or other entertainment sectors as much of the work in video game production can be decentralised and performed remotely, and products distributed digitally to consumers regardless of various national and regional lockdowns on businesses and services.

Publishing:

The pandemic is predicted to have a dire effect on local newspapers in the United States, where many were already severely struggling beforehand.

Retail:
See also: Online food ordering

​The 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic has impacted the retail sector. Retail stores across the world have seen product demand exceeding supply for many consumables, resulting in empty retail shelves.

In Australia, the pandemic has provided a new opportunity for daigou shoppers to re-sell into the China market. "The virus crisis, while frightening, has a silver lining".

Some retailers are looking at contactless home delivery.

Small-scale farmers have been embracing digital technologies as a way to directly sell produce, and community-supported agriculture and direct-sell delivery systems are on the rise.

Shopping centers around the world responded by reducing hours or closing down temporarily in response. As of 18 March 2020, the footfall to shopping centers fell by up-to 30%, with significant impact in every continent. Simon Property Group became the first major US-based mall operator to close all centers on 18 March, with government mandated closures in UAE, Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil and Austria as of 23 March.

In light of the public health situation in which includes afflicted regions where retail sectors deemed non-essential have been ordered closed for the interim,

Diamond Comic Distributors announced on 24 March 2020 a full suspension of distributing published material and related merchandise as 1 April 2020 until further notice.

As Diamond has a near-monopoly on printed comic book distribution, this is described as an "extinction-level event" that threatens to drive the entire specialized comic book retail sector out of business with that one move. As a result, publishers like IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics have suspended publication of their periodicals while DC Comics is exploring distribution alternatives including an increased focus on online retail of digital material.

Restaurant sector:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry

The 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic has impacted the restaurant business. In the beginning of March 2020, some major cities in the US announced that bars and restaurants would be closed to sit-down dinners and limited to takeout orders and delivery.

Some employees were fired, and more employees lacked sick leave in the sector compared to similar sectors. With only carry-out and delivery services, most servers and bartenders were laid off, prompting these employees creating "virtual tip jars" across 23 U.S. cities.

Science and technology:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on science and technology
See also: Science § Science and the public

The pandemic has impacted productivity of science, space and technology projects, and to the world's leading space agencies - including NASA and the European Space Agency having to halt production of the Space Launch System, James Webb Space Telescope, and put space science probes into hibernation or low power mode.

Most of both agencies' field centers have directed most personnel to telework. The pandemic may have improved scientific communication or established new forms of it. For instance a lot of data is being released on preprint servers and is getting dissected on social Internet platforms and sometimes in the media before entering formal peer review.

Scientists are reviewing, editing, analyzing and publishing manuscripts and data at record speeds and in large numbers. This intense communication may have allowed an unusual level of collaboration and efficiency among scientists.

Tourism:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on tourism

Philia Tounta summarised likely effects of COVID-19 on global tourism early in March 2020:
  • severe effects because tourism depends on travel
  • quarantine restrictions
  • fear of airports and other places of mass gathering
  • fears of illness abroad
  • issues with cross-border medical insurance
  • tourism enterprise bankruptcies
  • tourism industry unemployment
  • airfare cost increases
  • damage to the image of the cruise industry

Events and institutions impacts:
Main articles: List of major affected events and List of closed public venues and institutions

The pandemic has caused the cancellation or postponement of major events around the world. Some public venues and institutions have closed.

​Transportation:

The pandemic has had a significant impact on aviation industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as slump in demand among travelers. Significant reductions in passenger numbers has resulted in planes flying empty between airports and the cancellation of flights.

The cruise ship industry has also been heavily affected by a downturn, with the share prices of the major cruise lines down 70-80%.

In many of the world's cities, planned travel went down by 80-90%.

Aviation:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on aviation

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as a slump in demand among travellers. Significant reductions in passenger numbers have resulted in planes flying empty between airports and the cancellation of flights.

United States passenger airlines can expect about $50 billion in subsidies from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Cruise lines:
Main article: 2020 coronavirus pandemic on cruise ships

Cruise lines had to cancel sailings after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bookings and cancellations grew as extensive media coverage of ill passengers on quarantined ships hurt the industry's image.

Cruise line stock fell sharply on 27 March 2020 when the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act excluded companies that are not "organized" under United States law.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-RI), tweeted: “The giant cruise companies incorporate overseas to dodge US taxes, flag vessels overseas to avoid US taxes and laws, and pollute without offset. Why should we bail them out?”

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) tweeted that cruise lines should register and pay taxes in the United States if they expect a financial bailout. U.S-based employees and small, American-owned companies are eligible for financial assistance.

Gambling and betting:

According to the American Gaming Association, the industry will be hit by losses up to $43.5 billion in economic activity in the following months. Some projection was that the sports gambling industry may lose $140 million alone in the fourth weekend of March (21-22 March 2020) on lost NCAA basketball tournament bets.

Gambling companies are eager to shift customers from retail into online casino and poker games in order to fight the loss of revenue due to the cancellation of sports fixtures and the shutdown of betting shops.

Gambling groups increased the advertising of online casino games and play on social media. Some argue that virtual racing, as well as draw based games, are also proving popular.

Some software betting providers have specially designed campaigns promoting online betting solutions in order to attract betting companies. Long term consequences to the betting and gambling industry might be: Death of small retail operators and providers, increase in M&A, more focus on online, innovation in online meaning that even the existing products like the sportsbook will pay closer attention to obscure sports like soap soccer or quidditch and more prominent spot for virtual games online.

In Macau, the world's top gambling destination by revenue, all casinos were closed for 15 days in February 2020 and suffered a year-on-year revenue drop of 88%, the worst ever recorded in the territory.

Unemployment:

The International Labour Organization stated on 7 April that it predicted a 6.7% loss of job hours globally in the second quarter of 2020, equivalent to 195 million full-time jobs. They also estimated that 30 million jobs were lost in the first quarter alone, compared to 25 million during the 2008 financial crisis.

In January and February 2020, during the height of the epidemic in Wuhan, about 5 million people in China lost their jobs. Many of China's nearly 300 million rural migrant workers have been stranded at home in inland provinces or trapped in Hubei province.

In March 2020, more than 10 million Americans lost their jobs and applied for government aid. The coronavirus outbreak could cost 47 million jobs in the United States and unemployment rate may hit 32%, according to estimates by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

The lockdown in India has left tens of millions of migrant workers unemployed.

The survey from the Angus Reid Institute found that 44% of Canadian households have experienced some type of job loss.

Nearly 900,000 workers lost their jobs in Spain since it went into lockdown in mid-March 2020.

During the second half of March, 4 million French workers applied for temporary unemployment benefits and 1 million British workers applied for a universal credit scheme.

Almost half a million companies in Germany have sent their workers on a government-subsidized short-time working schemes known as Kurzarbeit. The German short-time work compensation scheme has been copied by France and Britain.

Social impact:

On 18 March 2020, the World Health Organization issued a report related to mental health and psychosocial issues by addressing instructions and some social considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to doubts if pets or other livestock may pass on coronavirus to humans, many people were reluctant to keep their pets fearing transmission, for instance in the Arab World, celebrities were urging people to keep and protect their pets. Meanwhile, people in the U.K. tended to acquire more pets during the coronavirus lockdown.

Domestic violence:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on domestic violence

Many countries have reported an increase in domestic violence and intimate partner violence attributed to lockdowns amid the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. Financial insecurity, stress, and uncertainty have lead to increased aggression at home, with abusers able to control large amounts of their victims' daily life. 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a domestic violence "ceasefire".

Socio-economic impact by region and country
​
United States:
​Main article: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States

The viral outbreak was cited by many companies in their briefings to shareholders, but several maintained confidence that they would not be too adversely affected by short-term disruption due to "limited" exposure to the Chinese consumer market. Those with manufacturing lines in mainland China warned about possible exposure to supply shortages.

Silicon Valley representatives expressed worries about serious disruption to production lines, as much of the technology sector relies on factories in mainland China. Since there had been a scheduled holiday over Lunar New Year, the full effects of the outbreak on the tech sector were considered to be unknown as of 31 January 2020, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cities with high populations of Chinese residents have seen an increase in demand for face masks to protect against the virus; many are purchasing masks to mail to relatives in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, where there is a shortage of masks.

As of February 2020, many stores in the United States had sold out of masks. This mask shortage has caused an increase in prices. By March, the many cancelled weddings caused bridal shops to convert production to make face masks.

Universities in the United States have warned about a significant impact on their income due to a large number of Chinese international students potentially unable to attend classes.

The Washington Post reported in February that President Donald Trump told advisors that he did not want the government to say or do anything that might spook the stock market, on concerns a large-scale outbreak could hurt his reelection chances.

On 26 February, The New York Times (NYT) reported a case in California which the Center for Disease Control confirmed as the first possible community transmission of coronavirus in the United States.

On 27 February, the NYT reported delay in diagnosis of the community transmission case in California.

A later article in the NYT on 27 February discussed a whistleblower's allegation's of the ineptitude of preparedness at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield, California and March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California to receive possible coronavirus transmitters for diagnosis and treatment.

The same day, a report by Goldman Sachs forecast that it believes American companies "will generate no earnings growth in 2020," wiping out an earnings recovery that was expected for the year after "lackluster profit reports for most of 2019"

On 27 February, U.S. stocks were on their way to the largest loss for a week since 2008, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,190 points in one day. On 28 February the average dropped below 25,000 briefly. 

The Dow Jones ended the week down 12.4 percent, the S&P 500 Index 11.5 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite down 10.5 percent. Stocks fell to 18,592 points (Dow average) on 23 March after a procedural Senate vote on a coronavirus economic stimulus bill failed for the second time in two days.

On 7 March, US stocks fell by 7 percent, triggering a temporary halt in trading, which was also aided by the 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war.

On the evening of 11 March, the National Basketball Association announced that the rest of its season would be suspended indefinitely, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced that its men's and women's basketball tournaments would be played without fans.

The following day, the NCAA initially announced that it would cancel the basketball tournaments, but later that day announced that all championship events throughout all sports would be cancelled until 2020–21.

​Deep South states such as Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana reported on April 6 that 70% of its reported deaths had involved African Americans. It has been acknowledged that African Americans were more likely to have poor living conditions (including dense urban environments and poverty), employment instability, chronic comorbidities influenced by these conditions, and little to no health insurance coverage—factors which can all exacerbate its impact.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the socio-economic impact of the Coronadovirus:







Impact of 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic on EducationPictured (with Video) below: With students sent home to take classes online, will they decide the experience of being on campus isn't worth the price and hurt small colleges? ​
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the widespread closures of schools and universities.

As of 3 April 2020, over 421 million learners were out of school due to school closures in response to COVID-19. According to UNESCO monitoring, over 200 countries have implemented nationwide closures, impacting about 98% of the world's student population.

On 23 March 2020, Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) released a statement announcing the cancellation of Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge O Level, Cambridge International AS & A Level, Cambridge AICE Diploma, and Cambridge Pre-U examinations for the May/June 2020 series across all countries. International Baccalaureate exams have also been cancelled.

School closures impact not only students, teachers, and families, but have far-reaching economic and societal consequences.

School closures in response to COVID-19 have shed light on various social and economic issues, including: 
The impact was more severe for disadvantaged children and their families, causing interrupted learning, compromised nutrition, childcare problems, and consequent economic cost to families who could not work.

In response to school closures, UNESCO recommended the use of distance learning programs and open educational applications and platforms that schools and teachers can use to reach learners remotely and limit the disruption of education.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Impact of the Coronavirus on Education:





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​
Coronavirus disease Pandemic (2019) Pictured below:
TOP: Covid-19 Symptoms
BOTTOM: World Health Organization influenza pandemic alert phases, The WHO does not use the old system of 6 phases
Coronavirus Disease Pandemic 2019:

This article is about the disease. For the virus, see Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 below. For the pandemic, see 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic also below.

Specialty: Acute respiratory infection
Symptoms: Fever, cough, shortness of breath
Complications: Pneumonia, ARDS, kidney failure
Causes: SARS-CoV-2
Risk factors: Not taking preventive measures
Diagnostic method: rRT-PCR testing, immunoassay, CT scan
Prevention: Correct hand washing technique, cough etiquette, avoiding close contact with sick people or subclinical carriers
Treatment:Symptomatic and supportive
Frequency: 244,200+ confirmed cases
Deaths: 10,000+ (4% of confirmed cases; may be lower with broader testing)

​Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread globally, resulting in the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.

Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Muscle pain, sputum production and sore throat are less common. While the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some progress to severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure.

As of 20 March 2020, the rate of deaths per number of diagnosed cases is 4.1%; however, it ranges from 0.2% to 15% depending on age and other health problems.

The infection is typically spread from one person to another via respiratory droplets produced during coughing. It may also be spread from touching contaminated surfaces and then touching ones face. Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between 2 and 14 days, with an average of 5 days.

The standard method of diagnosis is by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) from a nasopharyngeal swab. The infection can also be diagnosed from a combination of symptoms, risk factors and a chest CT scan showing features of pneumonia.

Recommended measures to prevent infection include frequent hand washing, social distancing (maintaining distance from others), and keeping hands away from the face. The use of masks is recommended for those who suspect they have the virus and their caregivers, but not the general public. There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19. Management involves treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Evidence of local transmission of the disease has been found in many countries across all six WHO regions.

For more  about Coronavirus Disease, click on any of the following blue hyperlinks: ___________________________________________________________________________

​Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), previously known by the provisional name 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus. It is contagious in humans and is the cause of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has been designated a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).

SARS-CoV-2 has close genetic similarity to bat coronaviruses, from which it likely originated.

An intermediate animal reservoir such as a pangolin is also thought to be involved in its introduction to humans. From a taxonomic perspective, SARS-CoV-2 is classified as a strain of the species severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV).

The virion (the free form of the virus) is inactivated by soap.

Because the strain was first discovered in Wuhan, China, it has sometimes been referred to as the "Wuhan virus" or "Wuhan coronavirus", although the World Health Organization (WHO) discourages the use of names based upon locations.

To avoid confusion with the disease SARS, the WHO sometimes refers to the virus as "the virus responsible for COVID-19" or "the COVID-19 virus" in public health communications.

Both the virus and the disease are often called "coronavirus" by the general public, but scientists and most journalists typically use more precise terms.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2: ___________________________________________________________________________

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic:

​The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019, and was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

As of 20 March, more than 259,200 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over 160 countries and territories, resulting in more than 11,200 deaths and 87,000 recoveries.

The virus primarily spreads between people via respiratory droplets, produced during coughing. It may also be spread from touching contaminated surfaces and then touching one's face. It is considered most contagious when people are symptomatic, although spread may be possible before symptoms appear.

The time between exposure and symptom onset is typically around five days, but may range from two to fourteen days. Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Complications may include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment; treatment is symptom and supportive therapy. Recommended preventive measures include hand washing, covering the mouth when coughing, maintaining distance from other people, and monitoring and self-isolation for people who suspect they are infected.

Efforts to prevent spreading include travel restrictions, quarantines, curfews, event postponements and cancellations, and facility closures. These include a quarantine of Hubei, nationwide quarantines in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, curfew measures in China and South Korea, various border closures or incoming passenger restrictions, screening at airports and train stations, and travel advisories regarding regions with community transmission.

Schools and universities have closed either on a nationwide or local basis in at least 115 countries, affecting more than 1.6 billion students.

The pandemic has led to global socioeconomic disruption, the postponement or cancellation of sporting and cultural events, as well as widespread fears of supply shortages across sectors including pharmaceuticals, electronics, and food. Negative effects include online misinformation and conspiracy theories about the virus, xenophobia and racism, and panic buying of basic goods. Some commentators have called the pandemic the biggest global event since World War II.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic:







Impact of 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic on Public Transport Pictured below: As Coronavirus Spreads, U.S. Travel Providers Are Cutting Back Their Services. Here's How That's Impacting Transportation Workers* (Time 3/17/2020)
* -- Time Magazine Article:

​BY MADELEINE CARLISLE 
 
UPDATED: MARCH 17, 2020 8:44 AM EDT | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MARCH 14, 2020 3:30 PM EDTTravel to — and throughout — the United States has rapidly dropped in recent days, driven by concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

On March 11, President Donald Trump announced a month-long ban on most non-U.S. citizens traveling from Europe in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus — and on March 14 said the ban will extend to the United Kingdom and Ireland — although the move has been criticized as ineffective at stopping a virus that is already in the U.S.

Trump’s orders follow a widely-reported trend of people across and the U.S. (and across the world) canceling or curtailing travel plans in an attempt to limit their risk of contracting COVID-19.

This practice of self-isolation, known as social distancing, has already had an impact on many major forms of mass transportation across the U.S. and internationally; here’s how’s how the travel industry is responding — across flights, trains, cruise ships and more — and what it means for the industry’s workforce.

How is the airline industry affected by coronavirus?The airline industry has already been heavily impacted. According to OAG, a global travel data provider, the number of scheduled flights is globally down by 10% compared to the second week of March in 2019.

Many U.S. and European companies have been hit particularly hard by President Trump’s travel ban on non-U.S. citizens who have visited Europe’s Schengen Area, a collection of 26 countries that do not restrict travel amongst each other including Italy, Spain and France.

Per OAG, the ban will affect passengers arriving on nearly 7,000 flights over the next month.

A spokesperson for Airlines for America, a trade association and lobbying group that represents major U.S. airlines, told TIME in a statement on March 13 that, “We respect President Trump’s decision to take action to prevent the spread of the virus as our top priority is – and always will be – the safety and well-being of all passengers and crew. However, the government-imposed travel restrictions have triggered rapid and severe damage to the airline industry.”

Read more: Exclusive: Here’s How Fast the Coronavirus Could Infect Over 1 Million Americans

U.S. airlines directly employ 750,000 workers; the industry as a whole supports 10 million jobs. “The economic impact on U.S. airlines, their employees, travelers and the shipping public is staggering,” the spokesperson continues. New flight bookings for the next 90 days are down by 65-75%.

The flight attendant’s union the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) told TIME on March 13 that they’ve seen a general reduction in the availability of flight hours but have not yet been made aware of any involuntary furloughs. However, flight attendants are generally paid by the hour, and that drop could be costly.

Sara Nelson, the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA — which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines — explains to TIME that 80% of flight attendants in the industry are organized, and that their contracts provide pay protections that help mitigate schedule loss.

However, most flight attendants work more hours than such pay protections account for, and depend on the income from those extra hours.

Nelson also told TIME that the AFA-CWA has worked with airlines to secure contractual pay protection in the current months’ schedule and has worked with management of multiple airlines to determine how much voluntary, unpaid leave they’ll offer. Nelson says that flight attendants will still have their health insurance while on leave, “which is critically important as we’re facing this pandemic.” Flight attendants on leave will also maintain their seniority.

The Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents over 63,000 pilots, tweeted on March 11, “ALPA’s Air Safety Organization is closely monitoring the 2019 novel #coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and will continue to meet regularly and provide timely information to our pilot groups as the situation progresses.”

Delta Airlines:

The airline most affected by the the U.S.-Schengen area travel ban will be Delta Airlines, which was scheduled to fly 17% of flights affected by Trump’s ban, per OAG.

On March 13, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a memo to all Delta employees world-wide that the company would reduce an unprecedented 40% of its overall capacity over the next few months — parking up to 300 aircrafts. This will be the largest reduction in the company’s history, including 9/11.

On March 14, the airline announced it would suspend multiple routes to South America, Europe and Asia and would continue to operate one flight daily between Atlanta and Amsterdam, Atlanta and Paris and Atlanta and London. It will operate one flight daily between New York and London.

In his March 13 memo Bastian also said Delta would immediately offer voluntary short-term unpaid leave and institute a company-wide hiring freeze. It also will reportedly reduce its use of consultants and contractors.

“Through this unprecedented and evolving business environment in the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta’s values remain stronger than ever. This includes taking care of our people and letting our values lead. To that end, we are offering employees the voluntary option to take a 30, 60 or 90-day unpaid leave while retaining full benefits and enhanced travel privileges including confirmed flights,” a Delta spokesperson told TIME on March 14.

The AFA-CWA’s Nelson told TIME on March 13 that Delta is the only major airline whose flight attendants are not unionized, and she’s concerned what this could mean for workers.

United Airlines:

United Airlines is the second-most affected by the ban; it was scheduled to operate 14% of affected flights, per OAG.

The airline was also one of the first to take drastic action because of the spread of the virus. On March 4, United announced it would reportedly offer voluntary, unpaid leave for U.S. based employees, would institute a hiring freeze and postpone salary increases.

On March 10, United announced that it would cut 20 percent of its flights indefinitely until demand increases, according to The Washington Post. Its CEO and president will also reportedly forgo their base salaries through June. United President Scott Kirby said that airline’s domestic net books are down 70% as of Tuesday, per ABC News.

The airline will continue to fly its regular schedule from Europe to the U.S. through March 20 to assist customers departing Europe, and afterwards will cut back on its routes while still flying daily to Dublin, Zurich, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam and multiple flights to Frankfurt, Munich and London.

“We are reviewing our flight and crew schedules to comply with the administration’s travel restrictions,” United told TIME in a statement sent on March 12. “As always, we will continue to provide our customers and employees with the very latest information as it develops.”

American Airlines:

American Airlines is the fourth most affected by the U.S.-Schengen ban, per OAG, and announced on March 12 that it would suspend multiple routes to Europe and South America through May

After the President announced that the European travel ban would expand to include the United Kingdom and Ireland, American Airlines announced that the airline would reduce its international capacity by 75% from March 16 to May 6. It also announced route suspensions to popular locations like London, New York, Sydney, and Tokyo; all flights to Asia and Australia are suspended, as are most flights to Europe and many to South America.

In response to these suspensions, Lori Bassani, the national president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents 28,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, said in a statement on Sunday that American has offered short-term leave options for flight attendants and the union was working to receive longer-term leave options.

She added that “On the health front, we have demanded all protective measures for our Flight Attendants be provided on every flight—focused first on international flights but now on flights everywhere. We have also addressed internal protocols and the sick policy for crew members who may be exposed and/or quarantined.”

When asked for comment, American Airlines referred TIME to a letter sent to all its team members on March 12, which announced that the company would suspend all hiring and leadership moves, postpone pay increases, and offer extended unpaid, voluntary leaves of absence. The letter also said that American Airlines is extending a two-week paid sick policy for all team members who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are quarantined.

Many other U.S. and European airline companies have been hurt by the threat of COVID-19. The German company Lufthansa is the third most affected by the U.S.-Schengen Area travel ban, for example. But even before Trump’s announcement, the airline had already canceled 23,000 flights between March 29 and April 24.

“Our primary goal is to keep as many of our employees on board as possible,” a Lufthansa spokesperson told TIME in an emailed statement. “The extremely urgent decisions on reduced working hours are an important milestone in this regard… The Lufthansa Group has launched an extensive savings program. This includes an immediate hiring freeze, as well as cost reductions in personnel, material and project costs. We are using all available means to secure our liquidity.”

On March 16, Norwegian Air also announced it would suspend over 85% of its flights and implement temporary layoffs of up to 90% of their employees. Norwegian did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment.

How is the rail industry affected?

On March 16, Amtrak announced its Northeast Corridor — which runs between Boston and Virginia — would operate 40% of its typical weekday schedule. The Keystone Service in Pennsylvania will be suspended as of March 18 and all Pennsylvania trains are suspended as of March 19.

The Amtrak Hartford Line, the Valley Flyer line, the New York State Service and the Amtrak Downeaster line will be operating on a reduced schedule starting March 17. The Cascades service and the Winter Park Express lines have canceled their service.

John Feltz, director of the Transport Workers Union Train Division, told TIME on March 13 there’s a possibility that onboard service workers on Amtrak he represents — such as cafe car workers — may have to prepare for a “furlough or a layoff situation.” He says the the union is “still trying to work that out with Amtrak right now” and “they are cooperating and they are working hand-in-hand.”

Feltz says that, if furloughed, workers would be able to collect unemployment under the Railroad Retirement Board, but their health insurance would be only last three months from their time they first left work.

Amtrak told TIME on March 13 that they are “working closely with the unions right now as we adjust our schedules as a result of reduced demand that has cut hundreds of millions of dollars from our revenue estimates.”

“We will soon be rolling out a voluntary unpaid leave program where non-essential employees can volunteer to take unpaid leave in order to contribute to reducing our expenses,” the spokesperson continued. She added they’ve taken other cost cutting measures “as we work hard to offset the revenue loss while minimizing the impact on our employees.”

These measures include: ending all non-safety critical hiring; cutting discretionary travel, cutting professional fees, cutting consultant spending, cutting advertising spending, and cutting deferred non-priority capital projects.

Anthony Simon, general chairman of the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers, who represents workers on the Long Island Railroad, writes TIME in an email that they have “been in constant contact with management and local officials. We have the full support of our international Union as well, and our work is secure moving forward as decisions and conditions are constantly changing.”

“Our first priority is for everyone’s safety and to prepare for whatever is necessary to restore normal. While there have been no threats to cut service as of yet, we will be prepared for whatever comes our way,” he writes.

How is the cruise industry affected?
​
The spread of COVID-19 has been devastating for the cruise industry. In a tweet on March 13, President Donald Trump announced that four major cruise lines — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC — have agreed to not sail from U.S. ports for thirty days. This comes after ports around the world have begun to temporarily ban cruise ship arrivals out of fear about the spread of coronavirus.

Cruise Lines International Association, a trade organization that includes over 50 cruise lines, announced on March 13 that all CLIA ocean-going cruise lines will be temporarily suspending cruise ship operations from U.S. ports of call for 30 days.

​Multiple cruise ships have suffered high profile outbreaks of the virus. The Diamond Princess was quarantined for weeks off the coast of Japan and at least 700 people on board ended up contracting coronavirus. 

Another cruise ship, the Grand Princess, was prevented from docking off the coast of California for days out concerns about spreading the virus, and 21 people on board ended up testing positive by the time they disembarked in Oakland on March 9.

Princess Cruises:

On March 12, Princess Cruises — which is owned by Carnival Corp. -- announced it was suspending all its global operations through early May, meaning 18 ships will cancel trips that were scheduled to begin between March 12 and May 10.

When asked what would happen to the employees scheduled to work these voyages, a spokesperson for Princess Cruises told TIME on March 12, “Shoreside employees may temporarily take on new duties to support this change and the refund process. Most shipboard teammates will return home until service resumes in 60 days.”

“Our teammates are our Princess family and we are committed to the care of our team. This is an unprecedented action in the history of our company, so we do not know how everything will play out. We ask for understanding as we work through the specifics regarding compensation and other details,” the spokesperson continued.

On March 13, Carnival Corp. announced four more cruise lines would suspend their activity for a month: Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard North America, Holland America Line and Seabourn. Carnival Corp. did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment about what would happen to its workers.

Disney Cruises:

On March 13, Disney Cruise Lines announced that it would suspend all new departures of Disney cruise ships beginning March 14 through the end of the month. “While we know this decision may be disappointing, the health and wellbeing of our guests is of the greatest importance,” Disney Cruise Line said in a statement.

“We are equally committed to the wellbeing of our incredible crew members who live and work aboard our ships and on Castaway Cay. During the suspended operations, Disney Cruise Line will continue to compensate our Crew Members and shoreside Cast Members,” the statement continued.

Viking Cruises:

Viking Cruises also announced that it would suspend all ocean and river cruises until May 1.

Viking directed TIME’s request for comment to a message sent to all employees on March 11: “Viking’s guests and our crew always come first; we stand by you. The Company is financially strong, and we have experience in handling adversity. We have no plans to reduce our crew levels as they currently are and will use the next weeks to improve our procedures to handle future challenges presented with the new coronavirus.”

How is the shipping and delivery industry affected?

In late February, Shippers Transport Express alerted 145 drivers who work at the port of Los Angeles that they would be reducing hours beginning on Feb. 28, because of the decreased volumes of cargo moving through the port.

Ron Herrera, the director of the Teamsters Union Port Division of the Western Region, told TIME on March 13 that roughly 30% of those drivers have been allowed to keep driving. He says the decreased hours are driven by the low volume of cargo coming from Asia. ABC 7 reports that Phillip Sanfield, spokesperson for the Port of LA, said that they saw a roughly 25% decline in volume in February 2020 compared to February 2019.

A spokesperson for Shippers Transport Express told TIME in an email on March 13, “We have in good faith worked to alert our workers to the reduced volume situation facing our industry as a result of the [coronavirus].”

“We’ve informed [drivers] that we will be providing hours as volume arrives and we have more work. Hopefully, volume returns to normal shortly and we will have volume and hours for all our drivers. This will be done on a seniority basis, as hours materialize, which is the Teamster’s process,” he continued.

One of those workers is 35-year-old Wendy Cruz, who has driven for Shippers Transport Express for four years. She told TIME on March 13 that she’s “definitely” worried about job security going forward. “We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she explains. “And I recently just purchased a home.”

Herrera told TIME on March 13 that the Teamsters Union anticipates more layoffs because of low manufacturing rates in China. “I don’t think we’ve seen the bottom of this yet,” he says. As NBC News reports, some economists say the coronavirus could have a bigger effect on U.S.-China trade than the Trump-era trade war did.

How is the ride-sharing industry affected?

Uber and Lyft have also taken a hit from the spread of COVID-19.

Uber has announced that if any driver or delivery person contracts coronavirus or is asked to self-isolate the company will provide financial assistance for up to 14 days. Uber has also announced that it’s working to provide drivers with disinfectants to help clean their cars.

Similarly, Lyft has announced that it plans to deliver cleaning supplies to its drivers and will “provide funds to drivers” with COVID-19 or in quarantine “based on the rides they provided on the Lyft platform over the last four weeks.”

But many U.S.-based Uber and Lyft drivers have expressed frustration that their companies have not done enough to protect them from the virus or from severe economic losses.

Steve Gregg, who has been driving for Uber and Lyft in California’s Bay Area for a little over three years, told TIME on March 13 that he’s “not in a position” where he can stop driving. Even though he says his fear over the coronavirus has caused him to have mild panic attacks, he’s had to keep driving because he depends on the income to support his children. Gregg adds that the two-weeks compensation he would receive if he got sick would be “a little too late.”

Yash — an Uber and Lyft driver whose full name TIME is withholding to protect his job — says his income went down last week by 30%. He adds that as his income has gone down, his costs have gone up; he now takes his car to get washed every day.

“We are at the front line of this epidemic. On a daily basis we deal with 20-30 people,” he says. He says he’s been suffering from insomnia since the crisis began, but he can’t stop driving because he can’t afford to.

When asked for comment on March 12 about the impact the spread of the virus has had on drivers, Uber directed TIME to a speech the company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi gave at Morgan Stanley last week, where he said, “As far as the impact to date, first of all, we are completely focused on the operational side of the business, making sure that our riders are safe, our drivers are safe, they understand what are best practices to make sure you stay safe.

Our employees are taken care of. Our partners are taken care of.”

When asked for comment on March 12 about the virus’ impact on drivers, a Lyft spokesperson told TIME in a statement, “We are monitoring the coronavirus situation closely, and taking action based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. Our focus is on keeping our riders, drivers and team members safe. We have an internal task force dedicated solely to this issue, and are prepared to take action as needed.”

Responding to the concerns raised by the drivers TIME spoke with, a spokesperson for Uber said in a March 14 in a statement, “The mounting fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus is being felt by everyone around the world. We know it’s especially concerning for people who drive and deliver with Uber. In these difficult times, their well-being is at the top of our minds, and we have a dedicated team working around the clock to support them the very best we can.”

​Lyft did not return a March 13 request for comment on the drivers’ comments.

[End of Article]
___________________________________________________________________________

​Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on public transport

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on public transport.
The use of public transport has also led to the spread of COVID-19.

United States:

According to Government Technology, "Steep declines in ridership during the crisis have pushed public transit systems across the U.S. into deep financial distress." Kim Hart of Axios wrote, "Public transit systems across the country are experiencing a painful trifecta: Ridership has collapsed, funding streams are squeezed, and mass transit won't bounce back from the pandemic nearly as fast as other modes of transportation."

In Detroit, bus services were cancelled after drivers refused to work.

The Verge reported a 18.65 percent ridership decline on the New York City Subway system for March 11 compared to one year prior. New York City Bus ridership decreased 15 percent, Long Island Rail Road ridership decreased 31 percent, and Metro-North Railroad ridership decreased 48 percent.

On April 7, SEPTA asked Philadelphia transit users to wear face masks starting on April 9.

On April 13, the agency said the rule would not be enforced.

Sound Transit, operating in the Seattle metropolitan area, saw a 25 percent decrease in ridership in February compared to January, and the city's ferry ridership saw a 15 percent decline on March 9 compared to one week prior.

California:

In California, Carson officials asked the Metro transit system to cease bus services in Los Angeles County.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has reduced bus and trolley services following ridership decreases. A vote on MTS' proposal to expand public transit in San Diego may not be possible in 2020.

Most services were shut down in San Francisco.

​Spread of the coronavirus:

The use of public transportation during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has been implicated in spreading the disease; "researchers found that a bus passenger infected fellow travellers sitting 4.5 metres away".

A study published in the academic journal Practical Preventive Medicine found that "in a closed environment with air-conditioning, the transmission distance of the new coronavirus will exceed the commonly recognized safe distance."

For some time, trams in Milan continued to function despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As the virus is spread from person to person, "one of the most common ways is through public and semi-private transport."

In Israel, one rider who was a carrier of the coronavirus was apprehended "on a bus on its way to Jerusalem, on suspicion of deliberately spreading the disease."

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Impact of the 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic on Public Transport in other countries:







Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on politicsPictured below: States with at least one local, state, or federal election date or method of voting altered as of 4 April 2020.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic affected the political systems of multiple countries causing suspensions of legislative activities, isolation or deaths of multiple politicians, and rescheduling of elections due to fears of spreading the virus.

General impact:

Leader popularity:

There is evidence that the pandemic has caused a rally-round-the-flag effect in many countries, with government approval ratings rising in the following countries:
In the United States, President Donald Trump has seen a 6-point drop in approval while state governors have seen increases as high as 55 points for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, 31 points for North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, and 30 points for Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

States of emergency:

Several countries have declared a state emergency, including the following:  while the above has raised concerns about lasting impacts on civil liberties.

For example, many countries have unveiled large-scale surveillance programs for contact tracing, leading to worries about their impact on privacy.

​Impact on international relations:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on international relations

Other Countries:
​United States:

The United States has come under scrutiny by officials from other countries for allegedly hijacking shipments of crucial supplies meant for other countries.

Jean Rottner, the President of France's Regional council of Grand Est, accused the United States of disrupting face mask deliveries by buying at the last minute. French officials stated that Americans came to the airport tarmac and offered several times the French payment as the shipment was prepared for departure to France. 

Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, asked Bill Blair, the Public Safety Minister, and Marc Garneau, the Transportation Minister, to investigate allegations that medical supplies originally intended for Canada were diverted to the United States.

German politician Andreas Geisel accused the United States of committing "modern piracy" after reports that 200,000 N95 masks meant for German police were diverted during an en-route transfer between airplanes in Thailand to the United States, but later changed his statement after he clarified that the mask orders were made through a German firm, not a U.S. firm as earlier stated, and the supply chain issues were under review.

Due to shortages in coronavirus tests Maryland Governor Larry Hogan had his wife Yumi Hogan, who was born in South Korea, to speak with the South Korean ambassador and afterwards multiple South Korea companies stated that they would send tests to Maryland.

On 2 April 2020, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 to halt exports of masks produced by 3M to Canada and Latin America. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that it would be a mistake for both their countries to limit trade of essential goods or services, including medical supplies and professionals, and remarked that this moves in both directions. 

​The Canadian government has turned to China and other places for crucial medical supplies, while they seek a constructive discussion about the issue with the Trump administration.

WHO:

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, claimed that he had been "severely discriminated against", and had received death threats and racist insults, claiming that "This attack came from Taiwan". In response, the foreign ministry of Taiwan stated "strong dissatisfaction and a high degree of regret" and that it would "condemn all forms of discrimination and injustice".

On 7 April 2020, United States President Donald Trump threatened to cut funding to the WHO.

​Impact on national politics:

United States:
Further information: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States

Due to the stock market crash, high unemployment claims, and reduced economic activity caused by the coronavirus pandemic the United States Congress convened to create legislation to address the economic effects of the pandemic and passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Representative Thomas Massie attempted to maneuver for a roll-call vote, but there was insufficient demand among the quorum present and the House passed the bill by voice vote on 27 March.

On 19 March, ProPublica published an article showing that Senator Richard Burr has sold between $628,000 and $1.7 million worth of stocks before the stock market crash using insider knowledge from a closed Senate meeting where Senators were briefed on how coronavirus could effect the United States.

Stock transactions committed by Senators Dianne Feinstein, Kelly Loeffler, and Jim Inhofe were also placed under scrutiny for insider trading. On 30 March, the Department of Justice initiated a probe into the stock transactions with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

European Union leaders condemned the United States decision to restrict travel from Europe to the United States. The outbreak prompted calls for the country to adopt social policies common in other wealthy countries, including universal health care, universal child care, paid family leave, and higher levels of funding for public health. Some state emergency orders have waived open meeting laws that require the public have physical access to the meeting location, allowing meetings to be held by public teleconference.

Captain Brett Crozier wrote a four-page memo requesting help for his crew, as a viral outbreak had occurred onboard his ship, the USS Theodore Roosevelt. However, he was soon relieved from his command over the ship, because the memo was leaked to the public.

The Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly initially justified his actions to fire Crozier, saying that the captain was "too naive or too stupid" to be a commanding officer if he did not think that the information would get out to the public in this information age, but later issued an apology in which he acknowledged that Crozier intended to draw public attention to the circumstances on his ship.
​
Several members of Congress called for Modly's resignation for his handling of the situation, which he did on 7 April.

States:

Multiple states suspended legislative activity including Colorado, Kentucky, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

On 11 March 2020, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed $150 million worth on infrastructure projects due to the state losing $22 million in its general fund for every $1 decrease in the price of a barrel of oil as a result of the Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war.

The Alaska Department of Revenue delayed its release of its budget forecast due to Alaska's dependence on oil prices.

On 10 March, Georgia state senator Brandon Beach started showing symptoms of COVID-19 and was tested on 14 March. However, he attended a special session of the legislature on 16 March before his test results arrived on 18 March showing that he had tested positive. The entire Georgia state senate, their staffs, and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan went into quarantine until 30 March.

​Impact on national politics: Other Countries
Impact on elections

United States

​Presidential:
Main article: 2020 United States presidential election

​Campaign:

Political campaigns switched to online and virtual activities in mid-March to either avoid the spreading of coronavirus or to be in compliance with statewide social distancing rules.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders started giving online town halls and virtual fundraisers. President Donald Trump's presidential campaign also shifted from in-person to virtual campaigning due to stay-at-home orders and social distancing rules made after his 2 March rally and both his and other Republican leadership offices based in Virginia were closed due to stay-at-home orders issued by Governor Ralph Northam.

On 15 March, the first one-on-one debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries took place between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders in CNN's Washington, D.C. studios and without an audience, as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The debate was moved from Arizona, which is under a state of emergency and had 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on that date.

On 2 April, the Democratic National Convention, which was originally scheduled to be held from 13 to 16 July, was delayed to the week of 17 August after the Democratic National Committee communicated with the presidential campaigns of Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

On 5 April Biden suggested "a virtual convention" may be necessary; Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity there was "no way" he would cancel the Republican National convention, scheduled to begin on 24 August in Charlotte, NC.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) expressed concern in early April that the pandemic might lower voter turnout in November.

Closings of churches, universities, and driver's license centers will make it more difficult for voters to register and the Democracy Project at the Brennan Center for Justice expect turnout to be low, as it was during the 17 March, Illinois Democratic primary.

Georgia state House Speaker David Ralston (R), predicted that mailing absentee ballot request forms to all voters in the state during the coronavirus crisis would be “devastating” for GOP candidates, and President Trump said that some of the election reforms would make it harder for Republicans to win office.

There have been calls to postpone the 2020 U.S. Presidential election to next year, but many constitutional scholars, lawmakers have stated that it would be very difficult to do without amending the Constitution.

Primaries:

On 12 March 2020, the North Dakota Democratic-NPL cancelled its state convention that was meant to be held from 19 to 22 March where statewide candidates would have been nominated and delegates to the Democratic National Convention would have been selected.

On 13 March, the presidential primary in Louisiana was postponed to 20 June by Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and Wyoming had its in-person portion of its caucus and all county conventions suspended and replaced with mail-in ballots

On 14 March, the presidential primary in Georgia was moved from 24 March to 19 May on 9 April, the entire primary was again moved to 9 June. 

On 16 March, Secretary of State Michael Adams announced that the Kentucky primaries would be moved from 19 May to 23 June and Governor Mike DeWine postponed the Ohio primaries despite legal challenges On 19 March,

Governor Ned Lamont moved the Connecticut Democratic primary from 28 April to 2 June. 

On 20 March, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Secretary of State Connie Lawson, Republican state chairman Kyle Hupfer, and Democratic state chairman John Zody announced that Indiana's primaries were rescheduled from 5 May to 2 June. 

On 21 March, Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced postponed the Puerto Rico presidential primary from 29 March to 26 April.

The Alaska Democratic Party canceled in-person voting for its presidential primary and extended its mail-in voting time to 10 April.

Governor John Carney postponed the Delaware presidential primary from 28 April to 2 June.

The Democratic Party of Hawaii canceled in-person voting for its presidential primary and delayed it from 4 April to sometime in May.

Governor Gina Raimondo postponed the Rhode Island presidential primary at the request of the board of elections from 28 April to 2 June.

On 27 March, Governor Tom Wolf signed into law legislation passed by the state legislature to postpone Pennsylvania's primaries from 28 April to 2 June. On 28 March,

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced at a news conference that New York's presidential primary would be postponed from 28 April to 23 June. 

On April 8, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order to reschedule the primary election scheduled to be held on June 2 to July 7.

On 30 March, the Kansas Democratic Party announced that its presidential primary would be conducted only through mail-in ballots, and Governor Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney also announced that Idaho's primary elections would also be conducted entirety through mail-in ballots.

​On 1 April, Governor Jim Justice signed an executive order to postpone West Virginia's primaries from 12 May to 9 June.

Polling places in Florida, Ohio, Illinois and Arizona that were located in senior living facilities were moved and other health precautions were enacted. 

​Local election directors in Maryland asked for the state's primary to be changed to only use mail-in ballots and former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Mary J. Miller asked for Governor Larry Hogan to switch to mail-in ballots.

​State:

Campaign:

Thirty-four Democratic and Republican candidates in New York signed a petition asking Governor Andrew Cuomo for the primary petition signature amounts to be decreased or eliminated for the primaries to prevent spreading or contracting the virus during signature collection.

On 14 March, Cuomo reduced the signature requirement to 30% of the normal limit and moved the deadline from 2 April to 17 March.

On 26 March, the Green Party stated that the pandemic would prevent third party candidates from appearing on the ballot unless petitioning requirements were reduced.

Elections:

On 11 March 2020, the Michigan Democratic Party cancelled its state convention which was scheduled for 21 March. The Utah Republican, and Democratic parties cancelled their in-person state conventions and the United Utah Party replaced their caucuses and conventions with virtual meetings.

On 16 March, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the postponement of the Texas state Senate District 14 special election from 2 May to 14 July. On 20 March, the North Carolina State Board of Elections announced that the Republican primary runoff for North Carolina's 11th Congressional district would be delayed to 23 June and Mississippi

Governor Tate Reeves announced that the Republican primary runoff for the 2nd congressional district would be postponed to 23 June. On 23 March, special elections for the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate were postponed.

On 15 March, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster delayed all county and municipal elections in March and April to after 1 May.

On 18 March, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey delayed the state's primary runoffs from 31 March to 14 July,

Missouri Governor Mike Parson delayed local elections from 7 April to 2 June, and Secretary of State Paul Ziriax announced that municipalities could reschedule elections from 7 April to a late date.

On 24 March, Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske and Nevada's seventeen county election officials announced that Nevada's June primaries would be conducted entirely through mail-in ballots. Secretary of State Paul Pate increased the absentee voting period for Iowa's June primaries and also postponed special elections in three counties.

Wisconsin:
See also: 2020 Wisconsin Democratic primary, 2020 Wisconsin Republican primary, and 2020 Milwaukee mayoral election

In Wisconsin—a swing state with a Democratic governor and a Republican legislature—the 7 April election for a state Supreme Court seat, the federal presidential primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties, and several other judicial and local elections went ahead as scheduled.

Due to the pandemic, at least fifteen other U.S. states cancelled or postponed scheduled elections or primaries at the time of Wisconsin's election. With Wisconsin grappling with their own pandemic, state Democratic lawmakers made several attempts to postpone their election, but were prevented by other Republican legislators.

Governor Tony Evers called the Wisconsin legislature into a 4 April special session, but the Republican-controlled Assembly and Senate graveled their sessions in and out within seventeen seconds

In a joint statement afterwards, Wisconsin's state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald criticized Evers for attempting to postpone the election, for not calling a special session earlier, and for reversing his previous position on keeping the election date intact.

Despite admitting that he would violate the law by doing so, on 6 April, Evers attempted to move the election by an executive order, but was blocked by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. On the same day, a separate effort to extend the deadline for mailing absentee ballots was blocked by the Supreme Court of the United States.

The only major concession achieved was that absentee ballots postmarked by 7 April at 8 p.m. would be accepted until 13 April. However, local media outlets reported that many voters had not received their requested absentee ballots by election day or, due to social distancing, were unable to satisfy a legal requirement that they obtain a witness' signature.

Lawmakers' decision to not delay the election was sharply criticized by the editorial board of the local Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, which had previously endorsed the Republican former governor Scott Walker. They called the election "the most undemocratic in the state's history." 

The New York Times characterized the election as "almost certain to be tarred as illegitimate," adding that the inability of the state's lawmakers to come to an agreement on moving the election was "an epic and predictable failure."

The newspaper placed the political maneuvering as part of another chapter in "a decade of bitter partisan wrangling that saw [state Republicans] clinically attack and defang the state's Democratic institutions, starting with organized labor and continuing with voting laws making it far harder for poor and black residents of urban areas to vote."

Republicans believed that holding the election on 7 April, when Democratic-leaning urban areas were hard-hit by the pandemic, would help secure them political advantages like a continued 5–2 conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court (through the elected seat of Daniel Kelly).

When the election went ahead on 7 April, access to easy in-person voting heavily depended on where voters were located. In smaller or more rural communities, which tend to be whiter and vote Republican, few issues were reported.

In more urbanized areas, the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure and consolidation of many polling places around the state despite the use of 2,500 National Guard members to combat a severe shortage in poll workers. 

The effects were felt most heavily in Milwaukee, the state's largest city with the largest minority population and the center of the state's ongoing pandemic. The city's government was only able to open 5 of 180 polling stations after being short by nearly 1,000 poll workers. As a result, lengthy lines were reported, with some voters waiting for up to 2.5 hours and through rain showers.

The lines disproportionately affected Milwaukee's large Hispanic and African-American population; the latter had already been disproportionately afflicted with the coronavirus pandemic, forming nearly half of Wisconsin's documented cases and over half its deaths at the time the vote was conducted.

However, by the time the election concluded, Milwaukee Election Commissioner Neil Albrecht stated that despite some of the problems, the in-person voting ran smoothly.

Similar problems with poll station closures and long lines were reported in Waukesha, where only one polling station was opened for a city of 70,000, and Green Bay, where only 17 poll workers out of 270 were able to work. Other cities were able to keep lines much shorter, including the state capital of Madison, which opened about two-thirds of its usual polling locations, and Appleton, which opened all of its usual 15.

​Voters across the state were advised to maintain social distancing, wear face masks, and bring their own pens. Vos, the state Assembly Speaker, served as an election inspector for in-person voting on 7 April. While wearing medical-like personal protective equipment, he told reporters that it was "incredibly safe to go out" and vote, adding that voters faced "minimal exposure."

Elections in Other Countries:
Impact on politicians and public figures
​​
United States:

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was held from 26 to 29 February 2020, and it was later discovered that one of the attendants with a gold-level VIP ticket had met with multiple high level politicians. These included Senators Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, and Lindsey Graham; and Representatives Mark Meadows, Paul Gosar, Doug Collins, and Matt Gaetz all of whom later went into self-quarantine along with other members of the Republican Party.

On 18 March, Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL-25) and Ben McAdams (D-UT-4) became the first members of Congress to test positive for the virus.

On 22 March, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) became the first member of the Senate to test positive for coronavirus, but despite having taken the test he did not go into isolation causing Senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee to go into isolation after having made contact with Paul.

On 19 March, Joe Cunningham (D-SC-1) went into isolation after coming into contact with another member of Congress who tested positive and on 27 March he announced that he tested positive for the virus.

On 7 April, Rand Paul announced that he had recovered from the coronavirus and would start volunteering at a local hospital.

Other Countries ​
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Impact of the 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic on Politics:







Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the food industry including the Meat Industry in the United StatesPictured below:
TOP: Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (FDA.Gov) including resources available to industry members and consumers on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and food safety.
BOTTOM: Mounting COVID-19 Clusters Reported at Meat Processing Plants
(For additional information, visit FDA's Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) main page.)
​Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the food industry

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic affects the global food industry as governments close down restaurants and bars to slow the spread of the virus.

Across the world, restaurants' daily traffic dropped precipitously compared to the same period in 2019.

Closures of restaurants caused a ripple effect among related industries such as food production, liquor, wine, and beer production, food and beverage shipping, fishing, and farming.

The issues were particularly disruptive in industrialized areas where large proportions of entire categories of food are typically imported using just-in-time logistics.

Global Impact:

Global food security expert Peter Alexander of the University of Edinburgh said that the free-market, just-in-time logistical systems common in industrialized areas are very good at dealing with disruptions in one place or sudden shortages of one commodity but are more vulnerable to systemic shock because there is no slack in the system and no supply reserves to fall back on.

In many places there was panic buying with resulting shortages. There were some supply chain disruptions for some products; for instance, many hand pumps for hand sanitizer bottles are imported into the US from China and were in shorter supply.

For most food products in the US normal resupply happened, but panic buying causing empty shelves contributed to consumers' impulse to stock up and hoard. A US food retail trade group advised retailers to accelerate ordering and consider rationing in order to prevent empty shelves.

Food retailers were "among the most affected by the coronavirus, but one of the few businesses that might actually benefit," at least in the short term according to the television channel Cheddar. Some areas saw price gouging.

Later on, as demand for certain agricultural products fell due to lockdowns and closure of restaurants, farmers reported a glut in supply, such as potatoes in the Netherlands and milk in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.

​United States
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry in the United States

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic impacted the US food industry via government closures, resulting in layoffs of workers and loss of income for restaurants and owners. It impacted retail groceries with panic buying noted as early as March 2 in some areas.

The closures impacted the distribution for food and beverages. In early April, while grocery stores were experiencing shortages of dairy products, farmers whose main customers were in the food service supply chain were dumping their milk because of lack of demand.

According to Cornell dairy industry economist Christopher Wolf, "If you have a factory that was set up to produce sour cream to sell at Mexican restaurants, you can't just decide that tomorrow you're gonna produce ice cream and send it to the grocery store."

According to NPR's Yuki Noguchi, "Just about every restaurant nationwide has been hit hard at once, making this disaster unique." Industry experts warned that many small businesses would not be able to recover from closures without help from the government.

Impact on the greater economy was as of March 17 expected to be large as Americans have in recent years spent more at restaurants than at grocery stores. Lester Jones, chief economist of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, said “This is a very significant and traumatic event for the restaurants, bars, taverns and the industry in general."

Chris Swonger, CED of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said "The impact on our industry is going to be really, really difficult. It's going to be a real challenge economically for not only the distillers of the United States, but certainly small businesses, restaurants, and bars."

Sean Kennedy of the National Restaurant Association on March 19 called the closures a "perfect storm" for the industry, saying the three primary challenges for restaurateurs are short-term access to cash, medium and long-term access to credit, and tax relief when the closures are ended. An investor in two New York City restaurants told the New York Post:

"This situation is apocalyptic for the restaurant business. How sad would the city be if the only places that survived were chains? It makes me depressed to even think about it."— Mark Amadei

The New York Times on March 20 reported that industry analysts were predicting that two-thirds of restaurants would not survive, and as many as 75% of independents. On March 26, 11 percent of restaurants anticipated permanently closing within the next 30 days.

The US restaurant industry was projected at $899 billion in sales for 2020 by the National Restaurant Association, the main trade association for the industry in the United States. An estimated 99% of companies in the industry are family-owned small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

The industry as a whole as of February 2020 employed more than 15 million people, representing 10% of the workforce directly. It is the nation's second largest private employer and the third largest employer overall. It indirectly employed close to another 10% when dependent businesses such as food producers, trucking, and delivery services were factored in, according to Ohio restaurateur Britney Ruby Miller.

In Delaware and Massachusetts, one in ten workers is employed in the restaurant industry. In North Carolina, 11% of workers are employed by the industry. In Texas, 12% of workers were employed by the industry as of 2016.

Forbes on March 19 estimated the job losses in the restaurant industry to be in the millions. The National Restaurant Association estimated probable job losses to be five to seven million.

Industry experts on March 18 forecasted $225 billion in direct losses and a full economic impact of $675 billion because of additional revenues generated elsewhere in the economy when customers patronize restaurants.

Timeline:

In a February 28 story about how restaurants could prepare for the possibility of a pandemic, Restaurant Business quoted Roslyn Stone, COO of a firm that provides crisis response for restaurants, who said "The prospect of a global pandemic has already put a spotlight on restaurants and the tendency for employees to come in sick. Though more chains have started giving employees sick time as the supply of labor has tightened, it's increasingly important for companies to change their culture to ensure employees aren't working while sick."

A March 3 story in Nation's Restaurant News characterized the industry as being braced for impact from the virus.

On Sunday, March 15, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Health Department director Amy Acton ordered the closure of all bars and restaurants to help slow the spread of the virus, saying the government "encouraged restaurants to offer carryout or delivery service, but they would not be allowed to have people congregating in the businesses."

DeWine said he'd made the decision "after being contacted by citizens around the state sharing photos and stories of crowded bars Saturday night, despite warnings of social distancing and the governor's edict limiting crowds to no larger than 100 people."

The city of Los Angeles closed all restaurants and bars later that evening and New York City announced all restaurants and bars would close by the following Tuesday, both cities also allowing exceptions for takeout and delivery.

The next day, Illinois, New Jersey, New York state, Connecticut, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington DC followed suit.

On March 18, the National Restaurant Association asked the federal government to provide relief to restaurants and restaurant workers. By March 21, at least 25 states had closed restaurants and bars. By March 22, the number had risen to 38. In other states, major cities had closed bars and restaurants to sit-down diners and limited to takeout orders and delivery.

Industry fallout and reactions:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the meat industry in the United States

The partial rather than full closings of restaurants meant that the closings failed to trigger business interruption insurance for many restaurants; other policies had clauses excluding coverage in the case of epidemics, action by civil authority, or requiring restaurants to have physical damage to property. 

Many employees were laid off, and more employees lacked sick leave in the sector compared to similar sectors. The New York Times characterized the closures as affecting "all strata of the industry, from the owners and their celebrity chefs to the waiters and waitresses, bar-backs and busboys, who effectively are facing layoffs and may be unable to pay their rent."

The virus has spread to dozens of meat processing plants in the U.S., forcing some facilities to close and causing deaths among meat processing workers. Smithfield Foods CEO Kenneth Sullivan said this created risks to the meat supply chain; the company closed at least three plants because of workers with the virus.

Government response:
Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the US restaurant industry § Government response

Multiple state and local governments offered relief packages for workers and restaurants. US President Trump met via phone on March 19 with leaders of chain restaurant companies, but no independent franchises were included. Participants included Domino's Pizza, McDonald's, Wendy's, Yum Brands and Darden Restaurants and representatives from the International Franchise Association and the National Retail Federation.

​Shopping and spread of the coronavirus:

Individuals who have continued to shop during the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic are at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Amidst the pandemic, grocery stores and pharmacies continue to remain open and attract crowds of shoppers, thus creating the potential to further spread contagion.


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Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the meat industry in the United States

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States, outbreaks of the virus took place in factories operated by the meat packing industry and the poultry processing industry. These outbreaks affected dozens of plants, leading to closures of some factories and disruption of others, and posed a significant threat to the food supply in the United States.

According to USA Today, by April 23, "more than 3,400 reported positive cases tied to meatpacking facilities across 62 plants in 23 states, and at least 17 reported worker deaths."

Overall Impact:
​
Two inspectors for the United States Department of Agriculture have died of Covid-19 as of April 23. One of those inspectors was based in the Chicago office of the Food Safety Inspection Service and was on a "patrol assignment" visiting various meat processing facilities each day to conduct inspections.

An investigation by USA Today and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting concluded that by April 21, "coronavirus infections had spread in at least 48 U.S. meatpacking plants, sickening more than 2,200 people and killing 17," and that "The outbreaks also have prompted the closure of at least 17 facilities."

According to a report in the New York Times, the coronavirus pandemic "has revealed how these plants are becoming the weakest link in the nation’s food supply chain, posing a serious challenge to meat production." Julie Niederhoff, an associate professor of supply chain management at Syracuse University, said that "Slaughterhouses are a critical bottleneck in the system".

Speaking for the meat industry, Smithfield CEO Sullivan said that "it is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running," adding that "These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain, first and foremost our nation’s livestock farmers."

According to the Daily Livestock Report published by Steiner Consulting, slaughter of cattle in the United States declined 19% in the second and third weeks of April, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

According to a report by Bloomberg News on April 23, "Combined pork, beef and poultry supplies in cold-storage facilities now stand equal to roughly two weeks of total American meat production. With most plant shutdowns lasting about 14 days for safety reasons, that raises the potential for deficits."

In the same report, Dennis Smith of Archer Financial Services, a subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland, predicted that "Meat shortages will be occurring two weeks from now in the retail outlets," adding that "There is simply no spot pork available. The big box stores will get their needs met, many others will not."

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks covering the many companies of the United States Meat Industry for more about that company:







Impact of the 2019–20 Coronavirus Pandemic on SportsPictured below: Can the sports industry survive the coronavirus shutdown? (Financial Times:  reported by Murad Ahmed and Mark Di Stefano in London and Anna Nicolaou in New York APRIL 4 2020)
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has caused the most significant disruption to the worldwide sporting calendar since World War II. Across the world and to varying degrees, sports events have been cancelled or postponed.

Spectators have no games to watch and players no games to play. In response, players are being encouraged to "play for lives" rather than for points. Former footballer Craig Foster, for example, is using his connections in the sporting world to set up a volunteer workforce for charities helping those in need.

Only a few countries, such as Turkmenistan, Belarus, Nicaragua, and Tajikistan, have continued professional sporting matches as planned.

Multiple event competitions:

The 2020 Arctic Winter Games were cancelled, while the 2020 ASEAN Para Games were postponed.

Summer Olympics:

The 2020 Summer Olympics were scheduled to take place in Tokyo starting at the end of July. Due to the upcoming Olympic games, the country's government had taken extra precautions to help minimize the outbreak's worst impact. However, qualifying events were being canceled or postponed almost daily. There had been suggestions that the 2020 Olympics be moved to London in light of the situation, but Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike indicated at the end of February 2020 that such a move was not under consideration at the moment.

The traditional Olympic flame lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece, to mark the start of the 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay was held on 12 March without spectators.

On 24 March, it was announced that the Summer Olympics would be postponed to 2021, still to be held in Tokyo. Six days later, the Olympics made a reschedule date to twelve months from the original scheduled dates of 24 July to 9 August 2020, to 23 July to 8 August 2021.

Gaelic games:

The Gaelic games of football, hurling, camogie, and ladies' football – mostly played in Ireland – saw all competitions suspended from 12 March 2020. The National Hurling League, National Football League, National Camogie League and Ladies' National Football League were suspended, with competitions not intended to resume until 29 March at the earliest.

On 17 March, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) confirmed that the opening fixture of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – due to have taken place at Gaelic Park in The Bronx on 3 May – had been postponed.

United States:

On 11 March 2020, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) — the main U.S. sanctioning body for college athletics — initially announced that its winter-semester championships and tournaments, including its popular men's basketball tournament (widely known as "March Madness"), would be conducted with "only essential staff and limited family attendance".

However, the following day, the NCAA announced that all remaining championship events for the 2019–20 academic year would be cancelled entirely. This marked the first cancellation in the 81-year history of the NCAA basketball tournament. This de facto created a mythical national championship situation in college basketball and hockey, with such winners being crowned by polls.

Other American multi-sports organizations; NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA have also cancelled their seasons. Additionally the Community College level sports governing bodies restored the season of eligibility to athletes who had already participated in the 2020 spring season.

BUCS:

On 16 March 2020, British Universities and Colleges Sport, the UK organisation for university sport, announced that all fixtures from 17 March to 1 April would not take place.

Some individual events, like the orienteering and windsurfing championships were cancelled entirely, while others were postponed indefinitely.

Philippines:

In the Philippines, NCAA Season 95 and UAAP Season 82 were both indefinitely suspended. NCAA Season 95 was terminated on 19 March after the then community quarantine in Luzon was upgraded to an "enhanced community quarantine", in effect a lockdown.

UAAP Season 82 was canceled on 7 April, after the enhanced community quarantine was extended to 30 April.

Alpine skiing:

The 2019–20 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup ended two weeks earlier after World Cup races in Sweden, Slovenia, and Italy scheduled for March were cancelled. An earlier February World Cup race was moved from China to Austria.

Archery:

The opening stage of the 2020 Archery World Cup, scheduled to be held in Guatemala City, Guatemala from 20 to 26 April, was postponed. Other events postponed include the Pan American Archery Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, from 23 to 29 March, and the European Para-Archery Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Olbia, Italy, from 18 to 26 April.

Association football:

On 13 March 2020, FIFA announced that clubs did not have to release players to their national teams during the international windows of March and April 2020, while players also had the option to decline a call-up without any consequences. FIFA also recommended that all international matches during these windows be postponed, though the final decision was left to the competition organisers or member associations for friendly matches.

By 20 April, 2020 Ýokary Liga, 2020 Tajikistan Higher League, Belarusian Premier League and Liga Primera de Nicaragua were the only four top flight national football leagues not suspended.

On 3 April 2020, FIFA announced that the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, scheduled to be held in Panama and Costa Rica in August, and the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, scheduled to be held in India in November, would be postponed and rescheduled.

Africa:

On 17 March 2020, CAF announced that the 2020 African Nations Championship had been postponed to a later date due to the pandemic.

Asia:

In China, the 2020 Chinese Super League was postponed as a result of the virus. In Hong Kong, the 2020 Lunar New Year Cup was cancelled on 23 January. Other leagues in Asia were affected, including South Korea's K League 1 and Japan's J1 League. The AFC Champions League and AFC Cup was also impacted, a number of group stage and play-off matches being postponed.

On 9 March 2020, FIFA and AFC announced that 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches due to take place in March and June 2020 were postponed to later dates due to the pandemic. Play-off matches between South Korea and China in the 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament were also postponed.

In India, the remaining I-League matches were postponed and the Indian Super League final was played behind closed doors.

Europe:

In Europe, various knockout matches in the Champions League and Europa League were played behind closed doors in February and March 2020. On 12 March 2020, UEFA announced that the elite qualification round of the men and women's under-17 and under-19 youth international tournaments had been postponed.

The following day, UEFA postponed all fixtures for the following week in the Champions League, Europa League and Youth League.

Many of the domestic European leagues were impacted in February and March 2020. After various fixtures were rescheduled or played behind closed doors, Serie A was postponed on 9 March 2020.

On 12 March, La Liga and the Segunda División were suspended for at least two weeks after a Real Madrid basketball player tested positive for the virus, which resulted in Real Madrid's footballers being put in quarantine. The Eredivisie was also suspended, while Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga followed suit shortly afterwards.

On 10 March, the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal, due to be played the next day, was postponed after a number of Arsenal players made close contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who had tested positive for coronavirus, when the two teams had met in the Europa League 13 days earlier.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for the disease, prompting the team's Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion for that weekend to also be postponed.

As of 13 March, there has been at least one recorded case of the disease affecting a player in the aforementioned leagues; Serie A footballers Daniele Rugani and Manolo Gabbiadini, 2. Bundesliga footballer Timo Hübers, and Premier League footballer Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Rugani tested positive while being asymptomatic. On 13 March, English elite football was suspended until early April, including the Premier League, English Football League, FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship.

By 19 March, the Belarusian Premier League was the only active top flight in all 55 UEFA member associations.

Concerns were raised regarding UEFA Euro 2020, being held in twelve host cities across Europe, and the potential impact of the coronavirus on players, staff and tournament visitors.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the organisation was confident that the situation could be dealt with, while general secretary Theodore Theodoridis stated that UEFA was maintaining contact with the World Health Organization and national governments regarding the coronavirus.

UEFA announced that a videoconference would be held on 17 March with representatives of its 55 member associations, along with a FIFPro representative and the boards of the European Club Association and European Leagues, to discuss the response to the outbreak for domestic and European competitions, including Euro 2020. The tournament was moved by 12 months.

North America:

On 12 March 2020, the CONCACAF Champions League was suspended with immediate effect.

The same day, Major League Soccer was suspended for 30 days.

Also on 12 March, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), whose season was not scheduled to start until 18 April, canceled its preseason matches, and also imposed a moratorium on team training that initially ran through 22 March.

On 19 March, Major League Soccer's suspension was extended to a target return date of 10 May. On 14 April, MLS announced that it was "extremely unlikely based on the guidance of federal and local public health authorities" that they would meet this target, and stated that "our goal remains to play as many games as possible, and while we currently have enough dates to play the entire season, we recognize at this time that it may become difficult to do so."

The day after MLS was initially postponed, all CONCACAF competitions scheduled for the next month were suspended.

The 2019–20 Major Arena Soccer League season was terminated early, effective 12 March.

The USL Championship suspended the 2020 season on 12 March, for at least 30 days.

The National Independent Soccer Association suspended the Spring portion of its 2019–20 season on 12 March for at least 30 days.

Match week 10 of Liga MX, Women’s Liga MX, and Ascenso MX took place but as of 15 March, club owners and league executives had then taken a decision to postpone all Mexican football activity until further notice.

Oceania:

On 9 March 2020, the Oceania Football Confederation announced that all tournaments were postponed until May 2020.

South America:

On 12 March 2020, FIFA announced that the first two rounds of the South American qualification for the 2022 World Cup due to take place in March 2020 were postponed to later dates. The same day, CONMEBOL announced that the Copa Libertadores would be temporarily suspended.

On 15 March, all top-tier football in Brazil was suspended until April.

On 17 March, CONMEBOL announced that the 2020 edition of Copa América was postponed to 2021.

Athletics:

The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships were scheduled to be held from 13 to 15 March in Nanjing, China, but were postponed until March 2021.

The 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships was scheduled to be held on 29 March in Gdynia, Poland, but was postponed until October 2020.

The first three events of the 2020 Diamond League, scheduled to be held in Qatar in April, followed by two events in China in May, were postponed until later in the year.

The 2020 Boston Marathon, originally scheduled for 20 April, was postponed until 14 September.

The 2020 London Marathon, scheduled to take place on 26 April, was postponed until 4 October.

The 2020 Rome Marathon was cancelled.

The 2020 Two Oceans Marathon, scheduled for 8–11 April, has been cancelled.

The 2020 Three Peaks Race, originally scheduled for 25 April, has been postponed to 26 September.

The 2020 Grandma's Marathon, scheduled for 20 June, was canceled by the organizers more than 50 days before it was to begin. They announced on 31 March that the marathon, the half-marathon, and the 5K would all be canceled.

Two of the Standard Chartered 2020 marathon series, Hong Kong Marathon and Kuala Lumpur Marathon was cancelled by the organizer over uncertainty of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The 2020 Berlin Marathon was prohibited from being held on its originally scheduled dates.

Australian rules football:

At the conclusion of its first round of games, the 2020 AFL season was suspended until 31 May at the earliest, while the Finals series of the 2020 AFL Women's season was cancelled after its semi-finals were played with no premiership awarded.

Badminton:

All scheduled Badminton World Federation tournaments were suspended until 12 April due to coronavirus concerns. The affected tournaments are Swiss Open, India Open, Orléans Masters, Malaysia Open, and Singapore Open. Previously the body had suspended the German Open and pushed the Lingshui China Masters from February to May 2020. The 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup had also been postponed to 15–23 August.

Baseball:

International:

The qualifying round of the World Baseball Softball Confederation-sanctioned 2021 World Baseball Classic, scheduled in Tucson, Arizona, United States in March 2020 was postponed on 12 March 2020.

Asia:

Japan:

On 26 February 2020, Nippon Professional Baseball announced that spring training would continue without fans in attendance. On 9 March, the league announced that the start of its 2020 season would be postponed until April.

On 4 March, the Japan High School Baseball Federation announced that the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, scheduled to begin on 19 March, would take place without fans in attendance.

However, on 11 March, the governing body of high school baseball in Japan declared that the tournament had been cancelled. The cancellation of the 2020 tournament marked the first time the contest had been cancelled since its establishment in 1924. The tournaments were not formally scheduled between 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.

South Korea:

Opening Day of the 2020 KBO League season was originally scheduled for 28 March 2020. The Korea Baseball Organization announced in March that all ten exhibition games would be cancelled, and the start of the regular season would be delayed until April.

Taiwan:

2020 CPBL of Taiwan, first game start on April 12, due to original schedule start postponed on April 11 by torrential rain.

North America:

On 12 March 2020, Major League Baseball  (MLB) suspended all spring training activities. Opening Day of the 2020 Major League Baseball season, scheduled for 26 March, was postponed, as was the start of the regular season for Minor League Baseball, which was to begin on 9 April. 

In addition, the Mexico Series and Puerto Rico Series games were canceled; the former would have featured the San Diego Padres playing the Arizona Diamondbacks at Mexico City's Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, and the latter featuring the New York Mets playing the Miami Marlins at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.

MLB also canceled the 2020 London Series games, which would have featured the Chicago Cubs playing the St. Louis Cardinals at London Stadium.

Also on 12 March, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced the suspension of its baseball season and cancellation of the 2020 College World Series.

Basketball:

Africa:

The launch of the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League set for March 2020 was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. No new date has been announced.

Asia:

The 2019–20 Chinese Basketball Association season was suspended on 1 February 2020.

On 14 February, FIBA ordered two qualifying games for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup, Philippines vs Thailand in Quezon City, and Japan vs. China in Chiba to be postponed to a later date. This brought the postponed games to three, after FIBA earlier ordered the China vs. Malaysia game in Foshan to be postponed.

Later that week, the Guam vs. Hong Kong game in Hagåtña was also postponed.
The Korean Basketball League canceled its 2019–20 season on 24 March, after playing its last game on 29 February. This comes as the Women's Korean Basketball League canceled its season a week before.

On 4 March, FIBA announced the cancellation of the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship in Beirut and the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship for Women in Canberra.

It also postponed the 3x3 Olympic qualification tournament in Bangalore, and rescheduled the 2020 FIBA Asia 3x3 Cups in Changsha and the 2020 FIBA 3x3 Under-17 Asian Cup in Cyberjaya.

ASEAN Basketball League:

Several fixtures of the ASEAN Basketball League 2019–20 season scheduled on February onwards were rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. In early March 2020, four participating teams, Alab Pilipinas, Hong Kong Eastern, Macau Black Bears and Formosa Dreamers has released statements urging the suspension of the whole season due to logistical issues posed by COVID-19-related travel measures in Southeast Asia, mainland China and Taiwan. On 13 March 2020, the league's 2019–20 season was postponed indefinitely.

Philippines:

The 2020 season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the PBA D-League was suspended indefinitely on 10 March 2020. The inaugural of the PBA's 3x3 tournament was also likewise delayed. The PBA management also imposed a two-week prohibition on team "practices, scrimmages and other related activities" which took effect on 14 March 2020.

Several leagues have suspended their tournaments on March 12: Community Basketball Association, National Basketball League, Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

On April 7, 2020, the PBA Board of Governors have decided to shorten this season into a two-conference format following the postponement of the Philippine Cup due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the enforcement of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon until April 30.

Europe:

Jordi Bertomeu, CEO of the Euroleague, suspended the games from 14 March to 11 April.

The Euroleague previously suspended the Eurocup. FIBA also suspended the Basketball Champions League and the FIBA Europe Cup starting on 14 March. 

Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and Ukraine canceled outright their respective first division leagues, naming the teams in the top of the standings as champions. Top flight division in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Belgium, Finland, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Cyprus, and Czech Republic suspended its games as of 14 March.

The Adriatic League and the VTB United League suspended its competitions until April. The government of Turkey suspended the Basketball Super League on 19 March, the last major European league to do so.

North America:

​On 11 March 2020, the National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus prior to tip-off for a scheduled game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Commissioner Adam Silver stated the next day that this suspension "will be most likely at least 30 days, and we don't know enough to be more specific than that". On April 6 in an interview with TNT's Ernie Johnson Jr., he stated there would be no decision on a restart of the season made before May 1 at the minimum.

On 12 March, all Division I conferences in NCAA college basketball cancelled their respective tournaments in-progress. The Ivy League had already called off its tournament prior to the decision, while some conferences, as well as the NCAA for its men's and women's tournaments, had previously announced that they would conduct their games behind closed doors.

The NCAA subsequently cancelled its tournaments outright.

On 14 March, the Baloncesto Superior Nacional of Puerto Rico suspended its season.

On 23 March, National Basketball League of Canada suspended the remainder of the 2019–20 season.

On 3 April, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced that they will postponed the start of training camp and regular season which was originally scheduled for 15 May. The 2020 WNBA draft was held virtually and televised on 17 April 2020 without players, guests, and media on-site.

Oceania:

In Australia's National Basketball League, the Sydney Kings announced 17 March that they would pull out of the 2020 NBL Finals after three games, due to "a critical mass of relevant and actual concerns related to player welfare and the club's social responsibility".

The NBL had been considering playing Game 4 of the series on 18 March instead of 20 March as originally scheduled to accelerate its completion.  The decision effectively forfeited the series to the Perth Wildcats—who were leading the best-of-five series 2–1 after Game 3, and were officially announced as NBL champions on 18 March.

The series was played behind closed doors beginning with Game 2, and the NBL stated that it would be suspended immediately if any player was diagnosed.

Biathlon:

The 2019–20 Biathlon World Cup ended a week and a day earlier than previously scheduled.

The World Cup final in Norway was cancelled as was the last day of the penultimate World Cup in Finland.

Bodybuilding:

Several competitive events in international competitive bodybuilding on the amateur and professional levels have seen limitations, postponements, or even cancellations due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

Due to these concerns Ohio governor Mike DeWine reduced the 2020 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio on 3 March, before any cases or deaths had been reported in the state. The cancellation was widely regarded as 'radical' at the time.

The Fitness Expo (under orders from the state government) held the bodybuilding and physique competitions, including the Arnold Classic, without spectators with exceptions for parents and guardians of minors participating in the competitions. Similar Arnold Sports Festivals planned to be held in Africa, Australia, and South America were postponed for later in the year.

On 16 March 2020, Jim Manion, president of the IFBB Professional League and the National Physique Committee announced that competitions planned through to 10 May 2020 in the United States would be postponed for later in the year or cancelled until the 2021 season.

Bowls:

The 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship scheduled to be held on the Gold Coast from 23 May to 7 June 2020, has been postponed until 25 May to 6 June 2021.

Castells:

In response to the shutdown of extracurricular activities for children in Catalonia, the Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya (CCCC), the governing body for castells (Catalan human towers), issued a statement on 10 March 2020, recommending the suspension of all castells practices and performances.

Subsequently, the lockdown imposed throughout Spain shut down all castells activities throughout Catalonia as of 15 March. As of 25 March 2020, there was no word about the potential impact of the pandemic on the biennial Tarragona Castells Contest, scheduled for 3 and 4 October 2020.

According to the CCCC, the last April without any castells was in 1966.

Chess:

The 44th Chess Olympiad scheduled to take place in Moscow, Russia from 5–17 August 2020 was postponed and rescheduled for the summer of 2021.

The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2020, held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, was suspended at the mid-point of the tournament on 26 March. FIDE decided to postpone the second half of the tournament after Russia announced it would be interrupting air traffic with other countries starting on 27 March.

Combat sports:

Mixed martial arts:

ONE Championship moved its 28 February "King of the Jungle" event behind closed doors, and announced that its ONE Infinity 1 event on 10 April would move from Chongqing, China to Jakarta, Indonesia.

On 13 March, ONE announced that all cards would be held behind closed doors in Singapore until ONE Infinity 1 on 29 May, re-located to Manila, Philippines (which was originally to host ONE Infinity 2).

The ONE Championship "Heart of Heroes" event in Vietnam (originally scheduled for 20 March) was postponed to June. On 6 April, due to lockdown orders issued by the Singapore government that restrict non-essential business, ONE announced that the two April cards would be postponed.

On 9 March, Combate Americas announced that its March events would be cancelled and replaced by closed-door tapings beginning April 3.[164] 

On 10 March, Polish MMA promotion Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) cancelled its 21 March 2020 event KSW 53 in Łódź. On 13 March, Bellator cancelled Bellator 241 in Uncasville, Connecticut (which was scheduled to occur later that day), and has since cancelled all events through May.

Ultimate Fighting Championship:

The main North American promotion UFC went on with its 13 March event UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira in Brasília, Brazil, behind closed doors.

On 16 March, UFC announced that the next three UFC Fight Night events, Overeem vs. Harris, Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik, and Woodley vs. Edwards, would be postponed to future dates.

In regards to its next pay-per-view, UFC 249 on 18 April, UFC president Dana White stated that the event would likely go on, but at a new venue behind closed doors. It was originally to be held at New York City's Barclays Center, but a stay-at-home order was issued by the New York state government.

On 18 March, the New York State Athletic Commission also withdrew its sanctioning for the event.

Due to international travel restrictions and other withdrawals, a revised card for UFC 249 was unveiled 6 April with a location still being determined. On 7 April, White disclosed that he had booked an unspecified venue for two months, in order to host both UFC 249 and other future events involving U.S. fighters. He also disclosed plans to secure a private island to host events with international fighters.

The new UFC 249 venue was subsequently revealed to be Tachi Palace—a tribal casino in Lemoore, California; as it is on tribal land, it also fell outside of the jurisdiction of the California State Athletic Commission, meaning that events held there could be self-sanctioned.

On 9 April, UFC announced that UFC 249 had been cancelled, and all other UFC events would be suspended until further notice. White cited interventions from high-ranking staff of the UFC's U.S. media rights-holders, 

ESPN Inc. and parent The Walt Disney Company: The New York Post reported that Governor of California Gavin Newsom had contacted Disney chairman and former CEO Bob Iger, urging ESPN and the UFC to not hold the event. Despite the cancellation, White stated that he was still going on with his "Fight Island" project.

The UFC later announced on 24 April that it would resume its events with UFC 249 on 9 May, along with two other cards on 13 and 16 May, all held behind closed doors at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

On 9 April, the state had exempted sporting events with a national audience that are held behind closed doors from its stay-at-home order. White also announced a planned card on 23 May, and plans to begin events at his "fight island" in June.

Kickboxing:

Kunlun Fight cancelled multiple events due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.

Glory cancelled events in Lint, Belgium and Miami, Florida.

Professional wrestling:

Numerous promotions have cancelled major events, such as: 
Impact, ROH and NWA also cancelled future tapings for their respective weekly television shows.

In Mexico, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre cancelled tapings for their weekly shows for the foreseeable future and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide postponed the 2020 Rey de Reyes event.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling:

In accordance with recommendations from the Japanese Ministry of Health, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) decided to cancel all scheduled shows from 1 March through 15 March. On 10 March, NJPW announced that they were cancelling all shows through 22 March, which meant that they cancelled the 2020 New Japan Cup as well.

The Stardom promotion, sister company of NJPW also owned by Bushiroad, also made adjustments to their scheduled, cancelling shows from 19 February to 14 March. Their 8 March show in Korakuen Hall was held without any spectators in attendance, instead streaming live on their YouTube channel.

On March 23, 2020, NJPW would later cancelled 2020 Sakura Genesis event was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 on March 31, but would also be cancelled.

On April 8, 2020 NJPW would cancel more events from April 11 through May 4, which mean both nights of 2020 Wrestling Dontaku being cancelled as well.

WWE:

American promotion WWE began to move the broadcasts of its weekly programs SmackDown and Raw (which usually broadcast from arenas) behind closed doors to its Orlando training facility, the WWE Performance Center, beginning with SmackDown on 13 March, with no audience and only essential staff in attendance.

The promotion also postponed some of its upcoming house shows.
WrestleMania 36—WWE's flagship pay-per-view event—was originally scheduled to be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

On 16 March, WWE announced that it would also be produced from the Performance Center and air across two nights (4 and 5 April).
​
WrestleMania's associated festivities, such as the NXT TakeOver card (which was scheduled for Amalie Arena) and WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony were also postponed to unannounced dates.

Matches for WrestleMania, as well as the final two episodes of SmackDown and final episode of Raw before WrestleMania, were recorded in advance at the Performance Center between 21 and 26 March. While the majority of matches were filmed in Performance Center arena and presented plausibly live, two matches were filmed off-site in different, cinematic styles.

After continuing with pre-taped episodes for the go-home shows after WrestleMania, WWE announced that its weekly series would resume live broadcasts on 13 April, with Raw and SmackDown from the Performance Center as before, and NXT from its existing studio at Full Sail University in Winter Park.

WWE told ESPN that "it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times", and that its programming "bring[s] families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance".

WWE also confirmed that one of its employees had contracted COVID-19 after a meeting with two health care workers on 26 March, but that the exposure occurred after production had wrapped, the employee had not made any contact with WWE staff since, and that they had made a complete recovery.

Wrestling writer Dave Meltzer noted that WWE's television contracts with Fox and USA Network likely restricted the number of non-live episodes it could broadcast per-year (accommodating breaks in live broadcasts usually held around the Christmas and New Year holidays).

WWE's next PPV, Money in the Bank, was expected to be held at Baltimore's Royal Farms Arena in May, but was cancelled by the arena on 9 April.

On 17 April, WWE announced that the two eponymous Money in the Bank matches (where wrestlers compete to retrieve a briefcase suspended above the ring with a ladder) would take place at its world headquarters building in Stamford, Connecticut, with a new "corporate ladder" gimmick that will see the matches culminate on the building's rooftop.

On 9 April, Florida's Division of Emergency Management added an exemption to the state stay-at-home order for employees of a "professional sports and media production with a national audience", if closed to the general public. 

On 13 April, Mayor of Orange County Jerry Demings acknowledged the change during a news conference, stating that they were made following consultations with the office of Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, and that they would allow WWE to continue its operations. It was reported that WWE had received repeated warnings by state officials over the stay-at-home order, but that DeSantis considered the operation critical to the state economy, and accommodated them by allowing the aforementioned changes.
​
DeSantis acknowledged the changes the next day, explaining that viewers were "starved" for sports content, and that the new exception could also be theoretically used by other sporting events.

The same day, U.S. president Donald Trump announced that he was forming an economic advisory group to address the country's emergence and "reopening" from the pandemic; WWE owner and chairman Vince McMahon was named to the group (alongside other major sports commissioners and team owners).

McMahon has been an ally of Trump, who has also made repeated appearances on WWE programming in the past, and is also a member of the company's hall of fame.

All Elite Wrestling:

On 12 March, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced the relocation of its two remaining live broadcasts of Dynamite on TNT for the month of March, scheduled for Rochester, New York and Newark, New Jersey respectively (with the latter originally scheduled to feature AEW's "Blood and Guts" event, also indefinitely postponed), to an alternative location with no audience.

AEW stated that it had re-booked the two cities for future episodes in July. AEW subsequently cancelled on-location Dynamite broadcasts through at least 13 May.

​Beginning on 15 March, AEW began to originate Dynamite from a closed stage at TIAA Bank Field's Daily's Place amphitheater in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Beginning with 1 April episode, Dynamite moved to an undisclosed location, later reported to be in Norcross, Georgia. On 3 April, after a state-wide stay-at-home order was issued, it was reported that AEW had also pre-recorded content for Dynamite on 1 and 2 April, and that they had amassed enough content "for weeks if not months if necessary."

AEW's next pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, was originally scheduled to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada on 23 May. The venue, however, canceled all events up through 31 May due to the pandemic.

AEW subsequently announced that the PPV would still proceed as planned but from an undisclosed location, but that the 2021 edition of Double or Nothing had been booked for the same venue on 29 May 2021, and that tickets purchased for the 2020 edition would remain valid.
​
Sumo wrestling:

In spite the March Haru basho 2020 taking behind closed doors without a hitch, bar one rishiki (Chiyomaru) having temporarily withdrawn from the tournament with a fever whilst undergoing tests; both Natsu basho in May and Nagoya basho in May and July have been postponed by two weeks.

The July tournament had been previously moved forward a week to avoid conflict with the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which have since been postponed a year.

A week later, the Japan Sumo Association confirmed the sport's first case when an undisclosed rishiki in the lower ranks, was tested positive after developing a fever some six days earlier. This led to all rishikis and officials being ordered to stay indoor until further notice.

Cricket:

The coronavirus pandemic impacted on several international cricket fixtures and tournaments. The 2020 ACA Africa T20 Cup Finals was scheduled to take place in Kenya in March 2020, before it was postponed in line with the Kenyan government's 30-day ban on international gatherings.

A women's quadrangular series was scheduled to take place in Thailand in April 2020, but was cancelled a month before it was due to start. 

The 2020 Malaysia Cricket World Cup Challenge League A, scheduled to take place in March 2020, was postponed, along with two T20I matches between a World XI and Asia XI side.

On 11 March 2020, English teams Worcestershire and Surrey both cancelled their pre-season warm-up tours to the United Arab Emirates. The following day, Australia Women's tour to South Africa in March 2020 became the first major international series not to go ahead as planned due to coronavirus.

​On 13 March 2020, the 2020 United States Tri-Nation Series was postponed due to the pandemic and travel restrictions to the United States.

​On 12 March, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that all remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League's ongoing fifth season being played in Karachi (where the majority of cases in Pakistan had been concentrated) would be closed to spectators.

The 2020 Everest Premier League was also postponed on 12 March.

On 13 March, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the start of 2020 Indian Premier League will be postponed from 29 March to 15 April. On 16 April, BCCI suspended the tournament indefinitely due to the pandemic.

On 13 March, BCCI cancelled the ODI matches between India and South Africa on 15 and 18 March, which were originally announced to be played without spectators. 

On the same day, the two-match Test series between Sri Lanka and England, scheduled to be played in March 2020, was also postponed. The remaining seven matches of the 2020 Road Safety World Series were rescheduled to a later date. It was earlier decided that the remaining seven matches of the tournament would be played behind the closed doors in DY Patil Stadium.

On 14 March 2020, the remaining two One Day International (ODI) matches of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy along with the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series between Australia and New Zealand were cancelled due to new border restrictions imposed by the New Zealand government

The first ODI match of the series had been played on 13 March behind closed doors in Sydney. The following day, Cricket Australia confirmed that the final round of matches in the 2019–20 Sheffield Shield season had been cancelled, with New South Wales being named as the winners of the tournament. New Zealand Cricket cancelled the final two rounds of matches in the 2019–20 Plunket Shield season, with Wellington being named the winners of the tournament.

On 16 March 2020, the remaining play-offs in the 2020 Pakistan Super League were postponed due to a huge spike in the number of coronavirus cases around the country. The Bangladesh tour of Pakistan for a single ODI and a Test match was also postponed.

The 2019–20 West Indies Championship was suspended due to the pandemic and Barbados was declared the champion on 24 March.

Curling:

The curling season typically ends in May but was cut short by the pandemic, effectively ending in early March. The World Curling Federation cancelled the last five championships scheduled for the 2019–20 curling season, most importantly the following:
Cycling:

Road cycling:

The 2020 UAE Tour was scheduled to run until 29 February, but was abandoned following stage five after two support staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Of the following nineteen 2020 UCI World Tour races scheduled to take place up to 31 May, only Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Paris–Nice, which also had the final day of racing removed, took place at the intended time, some with the stated hope of taking place at a later date.

The postponed races in this block include the 2020 Giro d'Italia and four of the five annual monuments, and many lower category races were also cancelled or postponed. Also races of the 2020 UCI Women's World Tour were cancelled or postponed.

On 15 March, UCI requested to suspend all UCI-sanctioned events in affected territories until 3 April, and the qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to stop retroactively as of 3 March.

On 18 March, the suspension of events were extended at least until the end of April. On 1 April, the suspension was extended until 1 June, and on 15 April, it was extended until 1 July for the international races, and until 1 August for the UCI World Tour races.

On 14 April, the annual Tour de France was originally scheduled for 27 June – 19 July, but it was postponed due to the country's strict measures with the coronavirus as the government extended a ban on mass gatherings until July. As of 15 April, ASO and UCI plans it to take place from 29 August to 20 September.

BMX:

Race days of the 2020 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup were cancelled including 2 to 3 May in Papendal, the Netherlands.

The 2020 UCI BMX World Championships, scheduled to take place in Houston, United States on 26–31 May, are postponed.

Other:

The annual Cape Epic endurance race scheduled from 15 to 22 March was cancelled.

Darts:

The Professional Darts Corporation's European Tour was impacted by the coronavirus; with the 2020 European Darts Grand Prix, the 2020 European Darts Open and the 2020 German Darts Grand Prix all being postponed following restrictions on gatherings implemented by federal governments in Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, respectively.

The two 2020 Premier League Darts rounds to be held in Rotterdam at the end of March were postponed to September following restrictions on gatherings in the Netherlands; and the round to be held in Newcastle a week earlier was subsequently postponed to October.

The next five rounds, in Belfast, Sheffield, Manchester, Berlin and Birmingham were also postponed to later dates, with the Sheffield dates now serving as the Play-Off Round. All ProTour events from 16 March to the end of April were postponed.

The planned first event on the 2020 World Series of Darts, the US Darts Masters, was cancelled for 2020, and the 2020 Nordic Darts Masters was postponed from June to October. The PDC's North American affiliate, the Championship Darts Corporation, cancelled the first weekend of its season in Ontario, and the New Zealand affiliate DartPlayers tour was ended for 2019/20 following the cancellation of events in Queenstown.

Esports:

Impact of the pandemic on esports have primarily affected events and leagues that host competitions in-person at venues with spectators, which have led to cancellations, postponements, and competitions being held behind closed doors—either in the traditional sense, or with competition being conducted entirely over the internet (although latency between players can be a factor), with streaming broadcasts (as is typical for esports).

Leagues:

Global StarCraft II League:

The Global StarCraft II League Super Tournament Season I were delayed, but remain offline event. The event held without spectators. The event won by Terran player Maru. This also applies 2020 Season 1 games.

Overwatch League:

The Overwatch League cancelled homestand events (matches held on-location at home venues akin to traditional sports leagues, as opposed to a centralized studio) in Asia at the onset of the pandemic, and subsequently cancelled all homestands through to April following its spread in North America in mid-March.

The league planned a shift to online play, and competition of the 2020 season to resume 21 March. The mid-season tournament was also removed from the schedule, and its all-star festivities were moved to the off-season due to not all players having played an equal number of games.

Due to stay-at-home orders imposed by the state of California (where Blizzard's headquarters and several other teams are located), the resumption of play was postponed (although exhibition matches showcasing the game's newly-unveiled character Echo were still held). Play resumed on 28 March, with teams realigned into three regional conferences.

Due to various factors, including several teams suspending their operations (including the New York Excelsior, in compliance with a local stay-at-home order, and the London Spitfire and Vancouver Titans re-locating their staff to South Korea), six of the 16 matches scheduled for the weekend were dropped from the schedule.
​
League of Legends:

Riot Games announced that the League of Legends Championship Series would temporarily suspend its season and switch to online play. In addition, the Spring Finals event in Frisco, Texas was called off and moved back to Riot's Los Angeles studio.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive:

The 2020 IEM Katowice World Championship was played without a live audience due to preemptive closures of large events in Poland As the pandemic became more severe and closures became more common, virtually all Counter-Strike: Global Offensive events were either postponed, cancelled, or moved online.

Most notably, the ESL One Rio Major 2020 was postponed from March to November.

Remaining qualifiers for the major were cancelled, to be rerun online later.
​
Crossover with traditional sports:

Sportcal suggested that the esports industry had an opportunity to attract mainstream sports fans as a "viable alternative" to traditional sporting events. 

Roundhill Investments CEO Will Hershey predicted that games that are straightforward for casual viewers to understand (such as sports games) could see particular interest among this new audience.

With the suspension of nearly all sporting events, some professional athletes began to increase their involvement in video game streaming as a means to engage with fans. Some teams have taken advantage of sports games in a similar manner, such as the Phoenix Suns holding NBA 2K20 streams with guest players, between the teams the Suns were scheduled to play that night if the season had continued. This culminated with a game actually being commentated by the team's radio broadcasters on team flagship KMVP-FM.

Esports organisations have also invited professional athletes to compete in specific competitions (often alongside, or in competition with professional players); FaZe Clan organized a charity Call of Duty: Warzone pro-am entitled "Fight 2 Fund" in support of coronavirus-related charities, where professional players were partnered with celebrity participants (such as Ben Simmons, Chad Johnson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster), and several sim racing competitions similarly invited professional race drivers.
​
In turn, both the IndyCar Series and NASCAR announced partnerships with sim racing platform iRacing to hold online invitational events featuring series regulars, with the latter employing television broadcasts by NASCAR television partner Fox Sports (styled after and still featuring personalities associated with their traditional broadcasts, including the commentary pair of Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon, based at Fox Sports 1's studio in Charlotte).

The first event (using Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the NASCAR Cup Series was to have raced that weekend) drew a television audience of 903,000 on Fox Sports 1, making it the most-watched esports broadcast on U.S. linear television since a 2016 Mortal Kombat X event aired by The CW. This record was surpassed the following week with a Texas Motor Speedway race — also aired by the main Fox network — which attracted 1.339 million viewers.

Fencing:

On 3 March 2020, the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) issued its first bulletin on COVID-19 precautions. On 10 March FIE strongly recommended that all participants in its competitions (athletes and other members of national delegations) fill and carry with them a questionnaire about their health status.

On 12 March a FIE circular reported the postponement of six World Cup or Grand Prix competitions and the World Junior/Cadet Championship. Since the World Cup and Grand Prix events were part of the qualifications for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the circular warned on the need to postpone the zonal qualifications tournament for the Olympics. No news was given on other events, and their possible postponement or cancellation.

FIE reported on its web site the postponement of the Olympic Games, but hasn't yet given any information on the World Fencing Championships, which is supposed to happen in non-Olympic years, so there is a 2021 Championship planned (assigned to Cairo), but not a 2020 Championship.

Individual countries had different decisions. For example, on 4 April the Federazione Italiana Scherma announced it was suspending all competitions until 31 August.[303]

Field hockey:

Many field hockey leagues in Europe have been suspended, including in Spain, England, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The 2019–20 Euro Hockey League Final 8 and 2020 Euro Hockey League Women seasons were suspended on 12 March. 

The 2020 Men's EuroHockey Club Trophy I, 2020 Men's EuroHockey Club Trophy II, 2020 Boys' EuroHockey Youth Championships, and 2020 Girls' EuroHockey Youth Championships were cancelled.

In Asia, the 2020 Men's Hockey Junior Asia Cup, 2020 Women's Asian Champions Trophy, and 2020 Women's Hockey Junior Asia Cup were postponed. The 2020 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup has been postponed to 24 September.

Futsal:

The 2020 AFC Futsal Championship in Ashgabat had been postponed following consultation with all relevant stakeholders. On 9 March 2020, FIFA and AFC announced that the tournament were postponed to 5–16 August.

Golf:

Many elite golf tournaments, both professional and amateur, have either been postponed or cancelled in response to the pandemic, including the major championships.:

​On 13 March, it was announced that the Masters Tournament (scheduled for 9–12 April) had been postponed. The 2020 PGA Championship (scheduled for 11–17 May) was postponed the following week. 

On 6 April, The R&A announced the cancellation of the 2020 Open Championship, the first cancellation since World War II. This was soon followed by the USGA announcing the rescheduling of the 2020 U.S. Open from 18–21 June to 17–20 September (the week before the 2020 Ryder Cup), and new dates in November for the Masters and in August for the PGA Championship. 

The ladies majors have been similarly affected, with the LPGA Tour postponing the ANA Inspiration until September.

On 12 March 2020, midway through the first round of the 2020 Players Championship, the PGA Tour announced that the remainder of the tournament and the next three events, the Valspar Championship, WGC Match Play, and the Valero Texas Open, would continue without fan attendance. Subsequently, after completion of the days play, the tour decided to cancel the remainder of tournament and the three following events. On 17 March, the tour announced the cancellation of all scheduled tournaments through 10 May. 

The European Tour have also cancelled or postponed many tournaments, mostly those scheduled from mid-March through to the end of May, including the Irish Open, a Rolex Series event. The Ladies European Tour postponed the 2020 Evian Championship, originally scheduled for 23–26 July, to 6–9 August.

Other leading professional tours have announced similar measures, as have the bodies responsible for organising leading amateur events. On 1 April, the R&A and the USGA jointly announced that the Curtis Cup was being postponed until 2021, and the British mens and womens amateur championships were being rescheduled from June to August. 

The LPGA Tour have cancelled three tournaments and postponed five others including the ANA Inspiration, and the Japan LPGA Tour cancelled twelve tournaments scheduled from March into May.

On 16 April 2020, the PGA Tour announced a condensed schedule for a proposed resumption of play on 11 June with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. It aims to play most of the remaining tournaments of the 2019–20 season (preserving at least three quarters of the original schedule in total), concluding with the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the season-ending Tour Championship on Labor Day weekend, followed immediately by the beginning of the 2020–21 season (which will have a modified early-season schedule to accommodate the re-scheduled majors) with the Safeway Open.

Initially, tournaments will be played with no spectators, but the PGA Tour did not rule out the possibility of reinstating spectators by the John Deere Classic in early-July. The extra delay was intended to give the Tour more time for preparations, as well as take advantage of weeks opened by the cancellation and postponements of majors and the Summer Olympics; only one of the three remaining majors—the PGA Championship—falls within the remainder of the 2019–20 season's schedule.
​
Recreational golf has also been affected, with many countries and regions ordering the closure of golf clubs and courses.

Greyhound racing:

The 2020 English Greyhound Derby was postponed on 16 March with no replacement dates set at present. The Arena Racing Company tracks announced a behind closed doors policy from 24 March  and racing in Ireland continued behind closed doors. Subsequently all racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland was postponed until further notice.

Gridiron football:

Canadian Football League:

On 12 March, the Canadian Football League announced the cancellation or modification of several pre-season events in response to the pandemic. Several scouting combines across Canada and the United States were cancelled, while other events such as rules committee meetings will now be held remotely. The League initially planned to hold both its International and National Drafts in April, but it was announced on 24 March that the Global Draft would be postponed indefinitely.
​
The start of the 2020 regular season was officially postponed until at least the start of July by Commissioner Randy Ambrosie on 7 April. In a press statement, he announced that the CFL was exploring multiple options to ensure that the league will be able to play as close to a full season as possible. The regular season had originally been scheduled to begin on 11 June.

National Football League:

The National Football League has been in its off-season since Super Bowl LIV in early February. Experts acknowledged that the San Francisco 49ers' loss in Super Bowl LIV may have averted early community transmission in California via post-game celebrations and victory parades.

On 12 March, various NFL teams began to suspend travel by their coaches and player scouts, while the league itself had advised its non-critical staff to work from home. The league will not allow teams to re-open their facilities until restrictions are sufficiently lifted in all U.S. states that contain NFL teams.
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The pandemic had an impact on the 2020 NFL Draft; draft-eligible players were prohibited by the league from travelling to meet team personnel, and vice versa. The draft went on as scheduled, but public festivities in Las Vegas (which were to be hosted by the newly-relocated Las Vegas Raiders) were cancelled, and the draft switched to a remote format where team staff must convene from home, with all 32 teams being linked to each other and league staff via Microsoft Teams software.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the first-round picks from his home in Bronxville, New York. The NFL will also host a charity appeal throughout the draft, supporting aid-related charities. Goodell announced that the 2022 draft would be hosted by Las Vegas.

The NFL will release its regular season schedule for the 2020 season by 9 May. On 31 March, NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash stated that the league was preparing to conduct its entire season on schedule, with any contingency plans yet to have been announced or implemented.

XFL:

On 12 March, the XFL (a revival of the one-season 2001 league) announced the suspension of the 2020 season, with all players to be paid their base pay and benefits for the full 2020 regular season; the season was officially cancelled on 20 March, with half of its ten-week regular season schedule played.

On 10 April, the league announced that it would suspend all operations and lay off all but a few critical executives, and said it was unlikely a 2021 season would be organized and played, with those executives remaining to wind down the league's business and operations after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing three days later.

Gymnastics:

Multiple international artistic gymnastics competitions, many of which were Olympic qualifying events, were either canceled or postponed. On 13 March, after already having completed qualifications, the Baku World Cup canceled its event finals.

The Stuttgart, Birmingham, and Tokyo World Cups (scheduled to take place between 21 March – 5 April) were all canceled. The European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships (scheduled to take place 30 April – 3 May) and the European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships (scheduled to take place 27–31 May) were both canceled. The Pacific Rim Championships (scheduled to take place 17–19 April) was postponed until 2021.

Handball:

The 25–29 March, 2020 European Women's Handball Championship qualification matches in Rotterdam, the Netherlands were cancelled.

Horse racing:

In the early stages of the outbreak, most horse racing events remained scheduled as normal, but with restricted attendance at racecourses. This included the following:
  • Hong Kong,
  • France, 
  • Japan,
  • United Arab Emirates,
  • United States,
  • Australia,
  • Ireland,
  • United Kingdom,
  • Germany,
  • New Zealand,
  • and Singapore.

The Macau Jockey Club suspended racing events from 31 January to 15 February and resumed racing from 22 February. The Korea Racing Authority suspended horse racing from 8 March. Sunland Park Racetrack in the United States canceled its race meeting from 16 March, which included the Sunland Derby, part of the 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Many tracks in North America followed suit over the following weeks, although some remained open depending on state-by-state decisions.

In Britain, although the Cheltenham Festival proceeded as normal in mid-March,
the Grand National meeting at Aintree in April was cancelled. By mid-March Ireland had become the only major horse racing country in Europe where the sport continued, albeit strictly regulated and behind closed doors. Ireland finally closed down racing on 25 March until at least 19 April.

Churchill Downs announced that the 2020 Kentucky Derby, normally the first leg of the American Triple Crown, would be delayed to 5 September; this also cascaded to the Preakness Stakes, with the Maryland Jockey Club delaying their second leg race to a date to be determined, likely in September as well. The New York Racing Association has not announced plans to reschedule the Belmont Stakes, normally the third leg.

On 22 March, it was announced that the Dubai World Cup, due to celebrate its 25th anniversary running on 28 March, had been cancelled.

On 7 April, Jockey Club Racecourses announced that the first four Classics of the British flat racing season – the 2000 and 1000 Guineas, scheduled to be held on 2–3 May, and the Epsom Oaks and Derby, scheduled to be held on 5–6 June – would be postponed until later in the season. Ascot Racecourse also announced that Royal Ascot, scheduled to be held from 16–20 June, would take place behind closed doors if it gets the go-ahead.
​
Some horsemen are limited from traveling to other racecourses or horse racing facilities. Hong Kong-based jockey Keith Yeung felt unwell on 22 March night, but his test for COVID-19 PCR was negative. On 26 March, it was announced that American-based jockey Javier Castellano had tested positive.

Some stakes races prize money were reduced. In Randwick Racecourse, Racing NSW announced all Group One and some Group two races in The Champions meeting prize reduced 50%. Inglis Easter Yearlings Sales are held at fully online bidding.

Cancelled race meetings and relaunch follow:
  • Macau Jockey Club – 31 to 15 January February 28 March to 11 April
  • Korea Racing Authority – from 8 March
  • Selangor Turf Club, Malaysia – from 14 March
  • Sunland Park Racetrack, New Mexico – March meeting
  • Keeneland, Kentucky – April meeting. Kentucky Downs and Ellis Parks closed down in mid-March, while Turfway Park cancelled the last 4 days of its meeting at the end of March. Churchill Downs deferred the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, normally scheduled for early May, to September
  • Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto – harness racing from 14 March. Thoroughbred meeting scheduled to open on April 18 postponed to at least June 30
  • Aqueduct Racetrack, New York – indefinitely from 19 March after a backstretch worker tested positive
  • Laurel Park, Maryland – indefinitely from 20 March
  • Fair Grounds, Louisiana – cancelled last week of its winter meeting, 22 to 29 March
  • Santa Anita Park, California – indefinitely from 27 March. Racing at Golden Gate Fields was suspended on April 2
  • All Great Britain racecourses – indefinitely from 18 March
  • All Ireland racecourses – 25 March to 19 April
  • All German racecourses – 17 March to 30 April, planning resume racing form 1 May.
  • All French racecourses France Galop and LeTrot – 17 March to 10 May, planning resume racing form 11 May.
  • All United Arab Emirates race meetings – Including Dubai World Cup Night and four April meetings.
  • All New Zealand racecourses – From 24 March, planning resume racing form 1 July.
  • All South African racecourses – 27 March to 30 April, planning resume racing form 1 May.
  • Singapore Turf Club – Form 4 April to 31 May

Remaining racing meetings:
Ice hockey:

International:

The IIHF Women's World Championship, IIHF World Championship Division IV and Women's Ice Hockey World Championships were all cancelled by the International Ice Hockey Federation due to the coronavirus.

The federation also cancelled the 2020 event of one of its two official junior world championship tournaments, the IIHF World U18 Championship. On 21 March, IIHF publicly announced that the senior men's world championships had also been cancelled.

Cancelled tournaments:
Europe:

As a result of the German government's ban on large events, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga announced on 10 March that it would cancel the remainder of its season, marking the first time in the league's history a champion would not be crowned.

The top four teams at the time of the cancellation — EHC Red Bull München, Adler Mannheim, Straubing Tigers, and Eisbaren Berlin — would advance to the Champions Hockey League.

The Swedish Ice Hockey Association suspended all remaining hockey, the playoffs and qualification rounds, in the Swedish elite leagues on 15 March; no awarding of the Le Mat Trophy for the 2019/20 season nor transference of teams from the leagues' qualification plays for the 2020/21 season will happen as a result.

Cancelled or ended leagues:
North America:

In early March 2020, the National Hockey League suspended media access to the locker rooms, saying that only official personnel would be allowed in after the games to limit person-to-person contact.

On 12 March, the NHL, American Hockey League, the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League (Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League), the USHL, and ECHL announced that their 2019–20 seasons would be indefinitely suspended.

On 12 March, the National Women's Hockey League postponed its Isobel Cup Final game indefinitely.

The ECHL announced on 14 March that the remainder of the season would be scrapped. The leagues of the CHL announced on 18 March that they would scrap the remainder of their regular seasons. On 23 March, the CHL confirmed that all playoffs and the 2020 Memorial Cup were cancelled.

Hockey Canada, the governing body for amateur hockey in the country, cancelled the remainder of its season on 13 March. This included national championships such as the Telus Cup and Esso Cup, as well as all regional and provincial playoffs. It also included the Canadian Junior Hockey League playoffs and the 2020 Centennial Cup.


Lacrosse:

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) temporarily suspended the 2020 season on 12 March.

Motorsport:

Australian Supercars:

The Supercars Championship had planned to hold an event, the Melbourne 400 supporting the Australian Grand Prix. The event was cancelled the same time the Grand Prix was also cancelled. The Championship is currently seeking to hold a replacement event later in the year.

The Supercars' Tasmania Super400 at Symmons Plains Raceway (originally scheduled for 4–5 April), the Auckland Super400 at Hampton Downs (25–26 April), and the Perth SuperNight at Wanneroo Raceway (16–17 May) rounds were also postponed beyond June. The Supercars' support series like the Boost Mobile Super Trucks were also affected, though the trucks intend to commit to their support schedule once new dates are finalised.

Supercars formed the All Stars Eseries to allow its drivers to compete against each other.

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters:

The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series postponed the start of its championship until July 2020.

Formula One:

The early Formula One season was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to the start of the season, Ferrari and AlphaTauri expressed concern about the spread of the virus and its effect on the championship. Both teams are based in Italy, which has suffered one of the worst outbreaks of the virus outside China, and so both Ferrari and AlphaTauri were therefore concerned over the ability of their staff to leave a quarantine zone that was established in northern Italy. 

Ross Brawn, the managing director of the sport, announced that Grands Prix would not go ahead if a team were blocked from entering a host nation, but that events could go ahead if a team voluntarily chose not to enter a host nation. 

The Australian and Monaco Grands Prix were cancelled. The cancellation of the Monaco Grand Prix meant that 2020 would mark the first time since 1954 that the race has not been held. The Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Chinese, Canadian, Dutch, Spanish and Vietnam Grands Prix were postponed. The summer break shut down period—which includes mandatory factory closures as a cost-cutting measure—was also brought forward from August to March and April and was extended to three weeks, allowing for postponed races to be held in August.

The sport had planned to overhaul its technical regulations for the 2021 championship in one of the largest changes in its seventy-year history. The pandemic prompted these changes to be postponed until 2022, with teams required to enter their 2020 cars in the 2021 championship to minimise the financial stress placed on the teams. 

The sport had also planned to introduce a $175 million budget cap in 2021, which was later revised to $150 million.  Teams called for further revisions to $100 million, arguing that the pandemic threatened the future of four of the ten teams.

In March 2020, some Formula One drivers entered a virtual version of the Australian and Bahrain Grands Prix dubbed "Not The Grand Prix". The races are hosted by Jean-Éric Vergne's Veloce Esports and Formula One. The online races are contested by current and former Formula One drivers, like Lando Norris, Nicholas Latifi, Stoffel Vandoorne, Esteban Gutiérrez, Nico Hülkenberg, Johnny Herbert and Martin Brundle, as well as celebrities and other sportsmen.

Formula 2 and Formula 3:

The Bahrain, Zandvoort and Barcelona rounds of the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships—a series of races for junior drivers that run in support of Formula 1 events—were postponed when the Bahrain, Dutch and Spanish Grands Prix were postponed.

The Monaco Formula 2 round was cancelled when the Monaco Grand Prix was cancelled and the Baku round postponed when the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was postponed; Formula 3 had not been scheduled to race in Monaco or Azerbaijan.

Formula E:

The Formula E championship for electric cars initially responded to the pandemic by postponing the Rome and Sanya ePrix. Planned races in Paris, Jakarta and Seoul were also postponed, prompting organisers to postpone the entire season by two months.
​
GT World Challenge Europe:

The 3 Hours of Monza round of the 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, scheduled for 19 April, was cancelled.
​
IndyCar:

The IndyCar Series initially announced on 12 March that it would hold the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg — the opening race of the 2020 season — behind closed doors. On 13 March, the series announced that it would cancel all races through at least the end of April, including St. Petersburg, Alabama, Long Beach, and Austin.

IndyCar intended to begin the season with the traditional "Month of May" races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the GMR Grand Prix (held on IMS's road course configuration), and the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 on its traditional Memorial Day weekend scheduling.

On 26 March, IndyCar announced that it would tentatively delay the beginning of the season to the end of May (beginning with the Detroit Grand Prix on 30 and 31 May) by postponing the two Indianapolis races to later in the season.

The GMR Grand Prix will join the NASCAR Cup Series' Brickyard 400 weekend, as part of a double-header with the Xfinity Series' Pennzoil 150 on the Fourth of July.

The Indianapolis 500 was postponed to 23 August—marking the first time in history that it has not been held in May. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was reinstated as the planned season finale, with a date to be determined.

On 6 April, IndyCar announced that the Detroit Grand Prix had been cancelled, and that to make up for other cancelled races, it would add a new, second Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course race to the schedule on 3 October known as the IndyCar Harvest GP (which may serve as the season finale if the St. Petersburg race does not come to fruition), and convert the Iowa 300 and Monterey Grand Prix to doubleheader weekends with two separate, points-paying races each.

IndyCar formed the IndyCar iRacing Challenge, with its drivers racing against one another on the iRacing racing simulation game.
​
MotoGP:

The MotoGP World Championship cancelled the opening round of the 2020 championship in Qatar. The Moto2 and Moto3 support categories raced in the country, as the teams were already in Qatar before the quarantine measures were put in place. Planned events in Thailand, the United States, and Argentina were also postponed, but were later rescheduled to 4 October, 15 November and 22 November respectively. The races at Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, and Catalunya were also postponed.
​
NASCAR:

Prior to the 2020 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, part of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR announced that no fans would be permitted to attend the race; this event, along with the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, were later postponed. On 16 March, NASCAR announced that all race events through 3 May were postponed, however they still intend to run all 36 races for the season.
​
NASCAR subsequently began to organize invitational eSports events on iRacing, featuring current and past NASCAR drivers, officially known as the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. Fox Sports also picked up broadcasts of these events to provide filler content for Fox Sports 1.

TCR Touring Car Racing:

Almost all TCR championships have been affected by the outbreak, resulting in complete calendar changes, race postponements and cancellations. These include the following: 
World Endurance Championship:

The 1000 Miles of Sebring race was cancelled while the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans were both postponed.
​
World Rally Championship:

The 2020 running of Rally Argentina, Rally Italia Sardegna and Rally Portugal were postponed. 

The 2020 Rally Mexico was shortened to allow competitors time to pack their equipment up and return to their headquarters in Europe before a series of travel bans were implemented. The World Rally Championship-2, World Rally Championship-3 and Junior World Rally Championship support categories were also affected by the postponements.

World Rallycross Championship:

The opening rounds of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship in Barcelona and Portugal were postponed.
​
World Touring Car Cup:

The opening rounds of the 2020 World Touring Car Cup in Hungary and Germany were cancelled. The four races that would have been held across the two rounds were rescheduled for other rounds.

Motorcycle road racing:

The 2020 Isle of Man TT and Scottish Six Days Trial were cancelled. The 2020 North West 200 event was postponed.

British national-level championships:

All British motorsport, including the British Touring Car Championship, the British GT Championship, and the Britcar Endurance and Trophy Championships. were postoned until July 2020.

Monster trucks:

Monster Jam events in multiple localities were affected:

Shows in the following cities were postponed: 
Shows in  the following cities were cancelled:
On 27 March 2020, World Finals XXI, scheduled to take place 2–3 May 2020, was cancelled.

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live postponed a show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Monster X Tour postponed its World Finals event in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Radio-controlled racing:

Despite taking place in the second half of the year, all 4 blocks (representing Asia (FEMCA), North America (ROAR), Europe (EFRA) and the rest of the world (FAMAR)). and the IFMAR committee have agreed to postpone all remaining IFMAR World Championships ( including 1:10 Electric Touring Car in Heemstede, Netherlands); 1:8 IC Off-Road in Cianorte, Brasil and 1:10 IC Touring Car in Brisbane, Australia) to an alternative date, possibly early 2021. This was the first postponement since 2001 when the events of the September 11 attacks caused the 1:10 Electric Off-Road Worlds to be moved to May the following year.

Poker:

As of 18 March most casinos and other gaming venues worldwide have been closed indefinitely, and many upcoming live poker tournaments have been either postponed, cancelled, or (in jurisdictions where currently permitted) moved to an online platform.

Tournaments originally scheduled to be played live are now being played online, including the 2020 Irish Poker Open.

On April 20, the 2020 World Series of Poker was postponed.
​
The pandemic has resulted in a massive increase in online poker traffic. It is believed to have directed both professional and recreational players who normally prefer live poker to online platforms due to the indefinite closure of most casinos and other live gaming venues worldwide, with even many unlicensed venues shutting down.

In addition, the sudden dearth of live entertainment options due to the widespread disruption of the sports and entertainment schedules around the world is believed to have resulted in more than the usual number of casual players turning to online poker as an alternative. Many operators reported traffic of double or more the previous volume, depending on the time of day.

Rodeo:

The 2020 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was cancelled after a festival attendee was diagnosed positive with the virus.

Rowing:

Four Olympic qualification regattas were cancelled, including the final qualification event scheduled to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland, from 17 to 19 May. All three events of the 2020 World Rowing Cup were also cancelled.

The Boat Race 2020, due to take place on the River Thames in London on 29 March, was cancelled.
​
Rugby league:

The Australian/New Zealand National Rugby League was scheduled to continue with no spectators permitted in the stadiums however this was abandoned after round two.

For the first time in the competition's history, the entire season was suspended indefinitely on 23 March 2020, and if the season cannot be restarted by 1 September, it will be abandoned with no premiership awarded.

In the northern hemisphere, Super League and the Rugby Football League's Championship and League 1 suspended their seasons until 3 April as a result of the spread of coronavirus.This was later revised to an indefinite suspension.

Rugby union:

At the end of February and start of March, the 2020 Six Nations Championship saw all games against I​taly postponed due to the worsening situation in that country, with games against the Scotland women's team also cancelled as one of the players tested positive and the team went into isolation. By 13 March, the competition had been suspended. On 12 March, the Pro14 European rugby competition was suspended.

In Super Rugby, two fixtures of Japanese team Sunwolves had been moved to Australia from Japan, while Australia announced on 12 March that beginning in the next round of fixtures, all matches held in Australia would be played with no spectators, but otherwise continue as normal.

However, on 14 March, New Zealand (who fields five teams in the competition) announced that it will require 14 days self-isolation for any person that arrives in the country from outside of the Pacific Islands, regardless of origin and including New Zealand citizens.

League organizer SANZAAR stated that it was evaluating the impact of this restriction, and ultimately announced later in the day that the season would be suspended following the completion of the weekend's fixtures.

On 12 March, Major League Rugby in the United States suspended its third season for 30 days, but on 18 March, organizers announced that it will suspend until 2021.

Shooting:

The 2020 ISSF World Cup, which was to commence on 15 March in New Delhi, was postponed. The Olympic Test Event in Tokyo, originally scheduled for April 2020, was also cancelled.

Short track speed skating:

The 2020 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Seoul, South Korea scheduled 13–15 March were cancelled. The International Skating Union initially announced they were trying to reschedule the tournament to the beginning of the 2020–21 season but couldn't find a spot in the calendar.

Snooker:

The 2020 Gibraltar Open and its qualifying rounds took place from 11 to 15 March. For the first day, there was a limit of 100 spectators per session. On the remaining days, there were no spectators. A significant number of players withdrew, and there was a shortage of referees, with some early matches played without referees.

The 2020 Tour Championship, originally scheduled for 17 to 22 March, was postponed until 21 July.

The 2020 China Open, originally scheduled for 30 March to 5 April, was indefinitely postponed.

The 2020 World Snooker Championship, originally scheduled 18 April to 4 May, has been postponed, until 31 July.

The 2020 World Women's Snooker Championship, originally scheduled 22 to 27 June, has been postponed.

Squash:

The 2020 European Squash Individual Championships, scheduled to take place in Eindhoven, the Netherlands from 29 April to 2 May are cancelled.

Surfing:

The 2020 World Surf League, which was due to start in Australia on 26 March, is on hold until at least June. The first event of the season, the Corona Open Gold Coast, was cancelled, while the second and third events, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and Margaret River Pro, were postponed.
​
The 2020 ISA World Surfing Games, scheduled to be held from 9 to 17 May in El Salvador, was postponed. It is hoped that it will take place during the second half of 2020.

Swimming:

The YMCA Short Course Nationals swim meet is canceled in the United States for the first time since 1947.

Table tennis:

The 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships, which was scheduled to be held from 22–29 March in Busan, South Korea, was postponed to 27 September–4 October.

The 2020 ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup was scheduled to be held from 28 February to 1 March in Hainan, China, but was postponed until later in the year.

Five events on the 2020 ITTF World Tour have also been postponed, including the China Open and the Japan Open. Four Olympic qualifying events, scheduled to be held in April, were also postponed.

Tennis:

In one of the first major U.S. sport cancellations of the pandemic, the 2020 BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California was postponed on 8 March 2020 as a precautionary measure, with organizers stating they planned to seek a new date. 

On 12 March, Mayor of Miami Carlos A. Giménez ordered the cancellation of the Miami Open pursuant to the state of emergency in Miami-Dade County.

On 12 March, the ATP announced that in response to the aforementioned cancellations among others, they would suspend events for at least six weeks. The International Tennis Federation also suspended play through at least 20 April, and the WTA cancelled WTA Tour events through 12 April. On 16 March, the WTA suspended play through May 2.

On 16 March, the start of the 2020 French Open was postponed from 24 May to 20 September, and the ATP and WTA jointly announced that their suspension of play had been extended through 7 June/ 

On 1 April, Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II, while the ATP and WTA announced that their suspension will be extended through 13 July.

On 16 April, the United States Tennis Association announced the formation of an advisory group to evaluate whether the US Open would be played, with plans expected to be announced by June.

USTA chief Mike Dowse stated that it was "highly unlikely" the tournament would be played behind closed doors, since it was "not really in the spirit of the celebration of tennis, and it also goes back to the health and well-being of our players and support staff that help run the tournament". He added that "on one sense we're very fortunate that we are the fourth Grand Slam to go, so time is on our side at this point."

The state of New York (which alone has more cases than any foreign country worldwide), and especially the tournament's host, New York City, have seen the largest impact by the pandemic in the United States.

Ultimate:

On March 24th, the World Flying Disc Federation announced to cancel or postpone all world championships over the next six months. This included the World Ultimate and Guts Championships (WUGC), World Junior Ultimate Championships (WJUC) and the World Masters Ultimate Championships (WMUC) due to the rapid spread of coronavirus.

North America's national body for ultimate, USA Ultimate, also cancelled all scheduled club and college tournaments as well as the suspension of the semi-professional league, the AUDL, from commencing the 2020 season.

Volleyball:

On 13 March, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) decided to postpone the Nations League for men (finals scheduled for Turin, Italy) and women until after the 2020 Summer Olympics caused by the outbreak of coronavirus.

Water polo:

International:

The 2020 Women's Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament was scheduled to take place in Trieste, Italy, 8–15 March 2020. On 28 February 2020, International Swimming Federation (FINA) announced that the tournament would be postponed to 17–24 May due to the coronavirus outbreak.

On 12 March, FINA announced that several international water polo tournaments would be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 Men's Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament due to take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 22–29 March, would be postponed to 31 May – 7 June. The 2020 FINA Men's Water Polo World League and 2020 FINA Women's Water Polo World League would be postponed to September–October 2020.

Asia:

2020 Asian Water Polo Championship, the Asian continental qualification for the 2020 Olympic water polo tournament, was scheduled to take place in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, 12–16 February 2020. In late January the event was cancelled as the Kazakh Government suspended all flights and visas from China due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

In mid-February Asia Swimming Federation decided to use the final ranking of the 2018 Asian Games to allocate its continental quotas.

Europe:

On 28 February 2020, European Swimming League (LEN) announced that the match of 2019–20 LEN Champions League Day 10 between Ferencváros (Hungary) and Pro Recco (Italy), and the match of 2019–20 LEN Euro Cup semifinal between Egri VK (Hungary) and AN Brescia (Italy) would be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
​
On 11 March 2020, LEN announced that all eight matches of 2019–20 LEN Champions League Day 11, the second leg of the 2019–20 LEN Euro League Women quarter-finals, and the 2020 men's U19 European Championships qualification tournaments would be postponed to later dates due to the coronavirus pandemic.

North America:

On 11 March 2020, the USA Water Polo (USAWP) announced that the 2020 ODP Girls National Water Polo Championship would be postponed, and the exhibition matches scheduled to be played on 19–21 March 2020 in California between United States and Spain men's national water polo teams would be cancelled.
​
On 16 March 2020, USAWP announced that the inaugural USA Water Polo Division III Women's National Championship scheduled for 8–10 May 2020 in Southern California would be rescheduled for May 2021; and week three of the 2020 National Water Polo League and the 2020 National League Championship/Fisher Cup would be canceled.
​
Oceania:

On 16 March 2020, the Australian Water Polo (WPA) announced that the 2020 Australian National Water Polo League would be terminated, the 2020 WPA National Championships scheduled to take place in Adelaide, South Australia in May would be cancelled, and the 2020 Open Championships (Country and Masters) scheduled to take place in the Gold Coast, Queensland in May would be postponed.








Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the United States militaryPictured below: A service member assigned to the West Virginia National Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Response Enterprise sanitizes workspaces belonging to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission in Charleston, W.Va., April 11, 2020. Guardsmen sanitized workspaces on multiple floors of the building in an effort to help combat the possible spread of COVID-19 (Department of Defense)
Responses:

On 27 February, South Korea and the United States (US) cancelled joint military exercises scheduled for March 2020.

On 11 March, the Norwegian Armed Forces cancelled the Cold Response 20 exercise planned to involve NATO and allied personnel.

On 16 March, the National Defense Industrial Association in the US cancelled the 2020 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference scheduled for May 2020.

On 27 March, the United States cancelled large-scale exercises involving thousands of troops in the Philippines that had been scheduled for May 2020.

On 6 April, the United States Forces Japan declared a Public Health Emergency on the Kanto Plain installations.

Withdrawal of US troops from Iraq:
Main article: Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq (2020)

On March 20, 2020, CJTF-OIR confirmed that certain troops would be withdrawing from Iraq due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Infection:

United States Military Bases:
Main article: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States § Military response

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Main article: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

On 24 March, the first case in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base was confirmed.

United States Forces Korea

On 26 February, the first case was confirmed to have spread to the Camp Humphreys.
​
As of 22 April, a total of 22 SARS-CoV-2 cases were laboratory confirmed at United States Forces Korea bases:
Naval ships:
Main article: 2020 coronavirus pandemic on naval ships

​The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic spread to a number of naval ships, with the nature of such ships, including working with others in small enclosed areas and the lack of private quarters for the vast majority of crew, contributing to the rapid spread of the disease, even more so than on cruise ships.








Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in the United States Pictured below: Confirmed cases of COVID-19 per million residents in the USA by state or territory
​The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), spread to the United States in January 2020.

Cases have occurred in all 50 U.S. states and all inhabited U.S. territories except American Samoa. All 50 states have received disaster declarations from the federal government As of April 24, the U.S. death rate was 152 per million people, the tenth highest rate globally.

The date on which the first case of COVID-19 in the United States was test-confirmed was January 20, 2020, in Snohomish County, Washington, in a 35-year-old man who had returned from Wuhan, China, five days earlier. It has since been established, however, that COVID-19 arrived in the country weeks, if not months, earlier, given the discovery of previously undiagnosed COVID-19 deaths which were belatedly confirmed and reassigned months later.

Thus, untraceable community-based transmissions of COVID-19 (with no known exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual) was already responsible for earlier COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., the earliest known thus far being on February 6, 2020, that of 59-year-old Santa Clarita, California woman Patricia Dowd.

The epidemiological timeline in Dowd’s case would place her infection date as weeks prior to her death, anywhere between late December 2019 to mid January 2020. Nevertheless, without this data and with no testing being carried out at that time, it was only on January 29, that the White House Coronavirus Task Force was established.

Two days later, the Trump administration declared a public health emergency and announced a ban of most foreign nationals arriving from China. On February 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed what was, at that time before Dowd’s case came to light, the first acknowledgement of a case with "no known exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual".

The first report of a U.S. death from COVID-19 came on February 29, for a man who died the previous day.

The early U.S. response to the pandemic was slow, especially in regards to testing. A manufacturing defect rendered CDC-developed test kits unusable, and regulatory rules prevented commercial laboratories from using their own tests. 

Initially, President Donald Trump was optimistic, dismissing the threat posed by coronavirus and claiming the outbreak was under control. By March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began allowing public health agencies and private companies to develop and administer tests, and loosened requirements to allow anyone with a doctor's order to be tested.

The U.S. had tested fewer than 10,000 people by March 11, but that number exceeded 1 million (1 per 320 inhabitants) by the end of the month. The Trump administration largely waited until mid-March to start purchasing large quantities of medical equipment.

In late March, the administration started to use the Defense Production Act to direct industries to produce medical equipment. Federal health inspectors surveyed hospitals in late March, reporting shortages of test supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other resources due to extended patient stays while awaiting test results. By April 20, the United States had processed more than four million tests (approximately 1 per 82 inhabitants).

The CDC warned that widespread disease transmission may force large numbers of people to seek healthcare, which could overload healthcare systems and lead to otherwise preventable deaths. On March 16, the White House advised against any gatherings of more than ten people. Since March 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of State has advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel.

In mid-March 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told the United States Army Corps of Engineers to construct new medical facilities, and to convert leased buildings for use as hospitals and intensive care units. 

State and local responses to the outbreak have included prohibitions and cancellation of large-scale gatherings (including cultural events, exhibitions, and sporting events), restrictions on commerce and movement, and the closure of schools and other educational institutions. Disproportionate numbers of cases have been observed among African-American populations, and there have been reported incidents of xenophobia and racism against Asian Americans.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States:






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Impact of 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic on Long-term Care FacilitiesPictured below:
TOP: (L) Georgia National Guard disinfects common areas of a nursing home; (R) West Virginia National Guard assist nursing home staff with pandemic
BOTTOM: A medic with the Massachusetts National Guard and a resident of the Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley nursing home handle a nasal swab that will be used to test for COVID-19
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has impacted long-term care facilities and nursing homes around the world. Thousands of residents of these facilities, who are a high-risk group, have died of the disease.

United States:

​On 17 April, the New York Times reported that there had been more than 7,000 deaths in American nursing homes—about a fifth of the national death toll—and more than 36,500 residents and employees had tested positive.

This actual figure is considerably higher since many facilities are not reporting cases or deaths. Federal government has designated long-term care facilities as lower priority than hospitals for coronavirus testing, leading to longer wait times for results.

In addition to steps taken by individual facilities, the federal government has barred visitors, ended group activities, and instituted a mandatory testing regime for workers. However, this is not necessarily effective at preventing infections. While some affected facilities are understaffed and have a history of safety violations, others are luxury facilities with excellent records.

California:

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on 10 April that some healthy residents at nursing homes would be transferred to USNS Mercy, a US Navy hospital ship. The vessel previously was only expected to take patients from southern California hospitals, to free up space there for COVID-19 patients.

Six hundred nurses with infectious disease control training were to be dispatched to nursing homes and adult care facilities to contain the disease. Some facilities have reorganized residents into discreet buildings for those with and without the virus.

Florida:

As of mid-April 2020, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was considering a request to grant nursing homes "sovereign immunity" from negligence lawsuits during the pandemic. The request was made by a trade group that represents nearly 700 nursing homes in the state.

Massachusetts:

Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley experienced an outbreak in April 2020. The nurse who reported the outbreak later died of the virus.

By 28 April, the most severe outbreak was at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers' Home for aging veterans, where 68 residents died after they tested positive for coronavirus. An additional 82 residents and 81 employees had tested positive, and the outbreak was ongoing.

Minnesota:

The state of Minnesota held a legislative hearing on 7 April into the senior care industry, weeks into a lockdown. The executive director of one facility noted that her residents are showing signs of depression and anxiety from the confinement.

New Jersey:

As of 17 April, two thirds of the state's long-term facilities—a total of 394—had reported cases of the virus, with 1,500 deaths linked to nursing facilities, about 40% of the state's death count. One facility, Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center II, with 543 beds, had a record of safety problems and inadequate staffing.

After an anonymous tip, police found seventeen bodies in bags on 13 April. Seventy residents had died of the disease by 19 April. Federal and state investigators have launched an investigation into the facility.

New York:

The New York Times reported that there were 4,630 positive cases in New York's 613 licensed facilities, as of April 10. Seventy-two facilities have had five or more confirmed deaths; Cobble Hill Health Center in Brooklyn reported 55 deaths.

Washington:

A Life Care Center facility in Kirkland, Washington was the source of a major outbreak of COVID-19 first reported on 19 February 2020, which became the first outbreak in a United States nursing home.

On February 19 there were 120 residents and 180 Center employees at the facility.

By 18 March, 101 of the residents had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and thirty-four residents had died, for a case fatality rate of 33.7%.

​On 2 April 2020 Life Care Center was fined $611,000 for deficiencies in its response to the outbreak, and has until 16 September 2020 to correct the deficiencies, or else face termination of its participation in the Medicare/Medicaid program.

Other Countries:
See also:






​
Mental Health during the 2019-2020 Coronavirus PandemicPictured below: COVID-19 has caused disruption to everyone. It is important to be aware of the potential negative impact that a crisis can have on our mental and physical health, often because of a breakdown in self-care. The NCAA Sport Science Institute will be developing webinars and outreach recommendations with the NCAA membership. The purpose of this memo is to provide resources and recommendations that may be helpful now.....
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has impacted the mental health of people around the world.

The Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee of the United Nations recommends that the core principles of mental health support during an emergency are:
  • "do no harm,
  • promote human rights and equality,
  • use participatory approaches,
  • build on existing resources and capacities,
  • adopt multi-layered interventions
  • and work with integrated support systems."

Causes for mental health issues during COVID-19 pandemic:

The COVID-19 pandemic can cause stress, anxiety and worry among individuals. Common causes of psychological stress during pandemics include:
  • fear of falling ill and dying,
  • avoiding health care due to fear of being infected while in care,
  • fear of losing work and livelihoods,
  • fear of being socially excluded,
  • fear of being placed in quarantine,
  • feeling of powerlessness in protecting oneself and loved ones,
  • fear of being separated from loved ones and caregivers,
  • refusal to care for vulnerable individuals due to fear of infection,
  • feelings of helplessness, boredom, loneliness and depression due to being isolated
  • and fear of re-living the experience of a previous pandemic.

In addition to these problems, COVID-19 can cause additional psychological responses, such as:
  • risk of being infected when the transmission mode of COVID-19 is not 100% clear,
  • common symptoms of other health problems being mistaken for COVID-19,
  • increased worry about children being at home alone (during school shutdowns etc.) while parents have to be at work and risk of deterioration of physical and mental health of vulnerable individuals if care support is not in place.

Frontline workers, such as doctors and nurses may experience additional mental health problems. 

The following can put frontline workers in additional stress:
  • ​Stigmatization towards working with COVID-19 patients,
  • stress from using strict biosecurity measures (such as physical strain of protective equipment, need for constant awareness and vigilance, strict procedures to follow, preventing autonomy, physical isolation making it difficult to provide comfort to the sick),
  • higher demands in the work setting, reduced capacity to use social support due to physical distancing and stigma,
  • insufficient capacity to give self-care,
  • insufficient knowledge about the long-term exposure to individuals infected with COVID-19
  • and fear that they could pass infection to their loved ones.

Prevention and management of mental health conditions:

The World Health Organization and the Centre for Disease Control have issued guidelines for preventing mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The summarized guidelines are as follows:

For general population:
  • Be empathetic to all the affected individuals, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.
  • Use people-first language while describing individuals affected with COVID-19.
  • Minimize watching the news if that makes one anxious. Seek information only from trusted sources, preferably once or twice a day.
  • Protect yourself and be supportive to others, such as your neighbours.
  • Find opportunities to amplify positive stories of local people who have experienced COVID-19.
  • Honor healthcare workers who are supporting those affected with COVID-19.

For healthcare workers:
See also: 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic-related shortages § Health workers
  • Feeling under pressure is normal during the times of a crisis. Managing one's mental health is as important as managing physical health.
  • Follow coping strategies, ensure sufficient rest eat good food, engage in physical activity, avoid using tobacco, alcohol or drugs. Use the coping strategies that have previously worked for you under stressful situations.
  • If one is experiencing avoidance by the family or the community, stay connected with loved ones, including digital methods.
  • Use understandable ways to share messages to people with disabilities.
  • Know how to link people affected with COVID-19 with available resources.

For team leaders in health facilities:
  • Keep all staff protected from poor mental health. Focus on long-term occupational capacity rather than short term results.
  • Ensure good quality communication and accurate updates.
  • Ensure that all staff are aware of where and how mental health support can accessed.
  • Orient all staff on how to provide psychological first aid to the affected.
  • Emergency mental health conditions should be managed in healthcare facilities.
  • Ensure availability of essential psychiatric medications at all levels of health care.

For caregivers of children:
  • Help children find positive ways to express their emotions.
  • Avoid separating children from their parents/carers as much as possible. Ensure that regular contact with parents and carers is maintained, should the child be placed in isolation.
  • Maintain family routines as much as possible and provide age-appropriate engaging activities for children.
  • Children might seek more attachment from parents, in which case, discuss about COVID-19 with them in an age-appropriate way.

For older adults, people with underlying health conditions and their caregivers:
  • Older adults, those especially in isolation or suffering from pre-existing neurological conditions, may become more anxious, angry or withdrawn. Provide practical and emotional support through caregivers and healthcare professionals.
  • Share simple facts on the crisis and give clear information about how to reduce the risk of infection.
  • Have access to all the medications that are currently being used.
  • Know in advance where and how to get practical help.
  • Learn and perform simple daily exercises to practice at home.
  • Keep regular schedules as much as possible and keep in touch with loved ones.

For people in isolation:
  • Stay connected and maintain social networks.
  • Pay attention to own needs and feelings. Engage in activities that you find relaxing.
  • Avoid listening to rumors that make you uncomfortable.

Long term consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health:

According to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (IASC), there can be long term consequences due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some of the long term consequences anticipated by the IASC include:
  • Deterioration of social networks and economies,
  • stigma towards survivors of COVID-19,
  • possible higher anger and aggression of frontline workers and the government,
  • possible anger and aggression against children
  • and possible mistrust of information provided by official authorities>

Some of these consequences could be due to realistic dangers, but many reactions could be borne out of lack of knowledge, rumors and misinformation. It is also possible that some people may have positive experiences, such as pride about finding ways of coping. It is likely that community members show altruism and cooperation when faced with a crisis, and people might experience satisfaction from helping others.

Individuals with anxiety disorders:

​Obsessive–compulsive disorder:

There has been a heightened concern for individuals suffering from obsessive–compulsive disorder, especially in regards to long-term consequences. Fears regarding infection by the virus, and public health tips calling for hand-washing and sterilization are triggering related compulsions in some OCD sufferers.

Some OCD sufferers with cleanliness obsessions are noticing their greatest fears realized. Amid guidelines of social-distancing and quarantining and feelings of separation, some sufferers are seeing an increase in intrusive thoughts, unrelated to contamination obsessions.

Post–traumatic stress disorder:

There has been a particular concern for sufferers of posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as the potential for medical workers and COVID–19 patients to develop PTSD-like symptoms. In late March 2020, researchers in China found that, based on a PTSD checklist questionnaire provided to 714 discharged COVID–19 patients, 96.2 percent had serious prevalent PTSD symptoms.

Impact on suicides:

The coronavirus pandemic has been followed by a concern for a potential spike in suicides, exacerbated by social isolation due to quarantine and social-distancing guidelines, fear, and unemployment and financial factors.

Germany:

The state finance minister of Hesse, Germany, committed suicide possibly due to the mental stress from having to deal with the financial consequences of COVID-19

India:

There are reports of people committing suicide after not being able to access alcohol during the lockdown associated with coronavirus pandemic in India.

Ireland:

A newly-established hotline for older people Alone saw 16,000 calls since its March 2020 launch.

Poland:

On March 18, 2020, Polish gynecologist Wojciech Rokita committed suicide due to the backlash and hate he received after being the first person to be diagnosed with COVID-19 in a Polish city Kielce.

United States:

In the United States, the national Disaster Distress Helpline saw a 338 percent increase in calls in March compared to February 2020.

On April 24, the U.S. state of Massachusetts suicide prevention hotline Mass211 received more than 50,000 calls related to COVID–19.








Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic Pictured below: CDC: What you should know about COVID-19 to protect yourself and others
The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.

Political impacts:
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics

A number of provincial-level administrators of the Communist Party of China (CPC) were dismissed over their handling of the quarantine efforts in Central China, a sign of discontent with the political establishment's response to the outbreak in those regions.

Some experts believe this is likely in a move to protect Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping from people's anger over the coronavirus pandemic. Some commentators have suggested that outcry over the disease could be a rare protest against the CPC. 

Additionally, protests in the special administrative region of Hong Kong have strengthened due to fears of immigration from mainland China. Taiwan has also voiced concern over being included in any travel ban involving the People's Republic of China (PRC) due to the "one-China policy" and its disputed political status.

Further afield, the treasurer of Australia was unable to keep a pledge to maintain a fiscal surplus due to the effect of the coronavirus on the economy.

A number of countries have been using the outbreak to show their support to China, such as when Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia made a special visit to China with an aim to showcase Cambodia's support to China in fighting the outbreak of the epidemic.

The United States president Donald Trump was criticized for his response to the pandemic. He was accused of making several misleading or false claims, of failing to provide adequate information, and of downplaying the pandemic's significance.

Trump was also criticized for having closed down the global health security unit of the United States National Security Council, which was founded to prepare the government for potential pandemics.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been heavily affected by the virus, with at least two dozen members (approximately 10%) of the Iranian legislature being infected, as well as at least 15 other current or former top government officials, including the vice-president. Advisers to Ali Khamenei and Mohammad Javad Zarif have died from the disease. The spread of the virus has raised questions about the future survival of the regime.

Sovereignty:

M. Nicolas Firzli, director of the World Pensions Council (WPC) and advisory-board member at the World Bank Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF), refers to the pandemic as "the Greater Financial Crisis", that will "bring to the surface pent-up financial and geopolitical dysfunctions ... [many] national economies will suffer as a result, and their political sovereignty itself may be severely eroded".

Civil rights and democracy:

Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, and Yemen banned the printing and distribution of newspapers. On 30 March, the parliament of Hungary granted Prime Minister Viktor Orban the power to rule by decree for an indefinite period.

World peace:
Main article: Global ceasefire

The coronavirus pandemic appears to have worsened conflict dynamics; it has also led to a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a global ceasefire.

On March 23, 2020, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued an appeal for a global ceasefire as part of the United Nations' response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

On 24 June 2020, 170 UN Member States and Observers signed a non-binding statement in support of the appeal, rising to 172 on 25 June 2020.

On 1 July 2020, the UN Security Council passed resolution S/RES/2532 (2020), demanding a "a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda," expressing support for "the efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General and his Special Representatives and Special Envoys in that respect," calling for "all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately in a durable humanitarian pause" of at least 90 consecutive days, and calling for greater international cooperation to address the pandemic.

Educational impact
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education

​The pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the widespread closures of schools and universities. According to data released by UNESCO on 25 March, school and university closures due to COVID-19 were implemented nationwide in 165 countries. Including localized closures, this affects over 1.5 billion students worldwide, accounting for 87% of enrolled learners.

Coronavirus and inequality:

Low income individuals are more likely to contract the coronavirus and to die from it. In both New York City and Barcelona, low income neighborhoods are disproportionately hit by coronavirus cases. Hypotheses for why this is the case include that poorer families are more likely to live in crowded housing and work in the low skill jobs, such as supermarkets and elder care, which are deemed essential during the crisis. 

In the United States, millions of low-income people may lack access to health care due to being uninsured or underinsured. Millions of Americans lost their health insurance after losing their jobs. Many low income workers in service jobs have become unemployed.

Religious impact:
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion

​The pandemic has impacted religion in various ways, including the cancellation of the worship services of various faiths, the closure of Sunday Schools, as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages surrounding observances and festivals.

Many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have offered worship through livestream amidst the pandemic. Relief wings of religious organizations have dispatched medical supplies and other aid to affected areas. 

Adherents of many religions have gathered together to pray for an end to the pandemic, for those affected by it, as well as for the God they believe in to give physicians and scientists the wisdom to combat the disease; in the United States, Trump designated 15 March 2020 as a National Day of Prayer for "God’s healing hand to be placed on the people of our Nation".

Psychological impact:

On 18 March 2020, the World Health Organization issued a report related to mental health and psychosocial issues by addressing instructions and some social considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to doubts if pets or other livestock may pass on coronavirus to humans, many people were reluctant to keep their pets fearing transmission, for instance in the Arab World, celebrities were urging people to keep and protect their pets. Meanwhile, people in the U.K. tended to acquire more pets during the coronavirus lockdown.

Suicide:
Main article: Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic § Impact on suicides

The coronavirus pandemic has been followed by a concern for a potential spike in suicides, exacerbated by social isolation due to quarantine and social-distancing guidelines, fear, and unemployment and financial factors.

Risk perception:
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment § Psychology and risk perception

Chaos and the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may have made a catastrophic future seem less remote and action to prevent it more necessary. However, it may also have the opposite effect by having minds focus on the more immediate threat of the pandemic rather than the climate crisis or the prevention of other disasters.

Personal gatherings:

The impact on personal gatherings has been strong as medical experts have advised, and local authorities often mandated stay-at-home orders to prevents gatherings of any size, not just the larger events that were initially restricted.

Such gatherings may be replaced by teleconferencing, or in some cases with unconventional attempts to maintain social distancing with activities such as a balcony sing-along for a concert, or a "birthday parade" for a birthday party. 

Replacements for gatherings have been seen as significant to mental health during the crisis. Social isolation among alcohol users has also adopted a trend towards Kalsarikänni or "pantsdrunking", a Finnish antisocial drinking culture.

Domestic violence:
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence

Many countries have reported an increase in domestic violence and intimate partner violence attributed to lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial insecurity, stress, and uncertainty have lead to increased aggression at home, with abusers able to control large amounts of their victims' daily life. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a domestic violence "ceasefire".

Elderly care:

Older people are particularly affected by COVID-19. They need special attention
during the COVID-19 crisis, and their voices, opinions and concerns are important in formulating responses.

Global data are extremely uncertain at present, nonetheless, the heightened risks of COVID-19 for older persons are evident in all national data. The scale of testing and nature of reporting vary between governments and hence there is risk of misinformation by generalizing from the experience and reports of a given country.

While the number of older persons is relatively and absolutely smaller in developing countries, particularly in Africa, this coincides with other serious structural risks. Countries with the fewest older persons (such as many of the least developed countries), have the fewest health resources, limited experience caring for older patients (including few geriatric specialists), less institutional care for older persons, and far fewer public or NGO support structures for outreach, screening and community-based care of older persons.

Older persons living in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, are particularly vulnerable to infection and adverse outcomes from COVID-19.

Older persons who live alone may face barriers to obtaining accurate information, food, medication, and other essential supplies during quarantine conditions and community outreach is required. Older persons, especially in isolation, those with cognitive decline, and those who are highly care-dependent, need a continuum of practical and emotional support through informal networks (families), health workers, caregivers, and volunteers.

People with disabilities:
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities

People with disabilities are at grater risk for contracting and dying from COVID-19. This is especially true for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Data from the United States indicate that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are four times more likely to contract COVID and twice as likely to die from the disease; this is likely due to the fact that people with disabilities are overrepresented in care facilities where COVID is known to spread more easily. People with disabilities are also more likely to have co-morbidities that put them at higher risk for developing COVID-related complications and may have a more difficult time socially distancing due to their support needs.

People with disabilities are more likely to experience isolation and other forms of mental distress as a result of the pandemic. Women and children with disabilities are more likely to experience domestic abuse during pandemics.

School closures have presented children with disabilities with a host of challenges. Many children with disabilities have seen disruptions to critical physical and occupational therapies.

Many of the assistive technologies people with disabilities use are not compatible with the platforms schools are using for remote learning. A large number of children with disabilities also live in poverty and may not have access to the internet and technology required for remote learning. These children may also experience a variety of social and psychological issues as the result of school closures, including food insecurity, anxiety, as well as delays in their development.

See also:







COVID-19 Global PandemicPictured below: ​Soldiers from the military's chemical units take part in a drill to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Xindian district in Taiwan on March 14, 2020. Sam Yeh—AFP via Getty Images (Time Magazine)
​The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020. As of 5 December 2020, more than 66.4 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 1.52 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.

COVID-19 spreads via a number of means, primarily involving saliva and other bodily fluids and excretions. These fluids can form small droplets and aerosols, which can spread as an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes, sings, or speaks. The virus may also spread by direct contact and it is unknown how often it spreads via fomites (contaminated surfaces). 

The exact route of transmission is rarely proven conclusively, but infection mainly happens when people are near each other for long enough, which is known as "close contact". It can spread as early as two days before infected persons show symptoms (presymptomatic), and from asymptomatic individuals.

People remain infectious for up to ten days in moderate cases, and two weeks in severe cases. Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste. Complications may include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The incubation period is typically around five days but may range from one to 14 days.

There are several vaccine candidates in development, although none has completed clinical trials. Although work is underway to develop drugs that inhibit the virus, the primary treatment is currently symptomatic.

Recommended preventive measures include social distancing, wearing a face mask in public, ventilation and air-filtering, hand washing, covering one's mouth when sneezing or coughing, disinfecting surfaces, and monitoring and self-isolation for people exposed or symptomatic.

Authorities worldwide have responded by implementing travel restrictions, lockdowns, workplace hazard controls, and facility closures. Many places have also worked to increase testing capacity and trace contacts of the infected.

The responses have caused global social and economic disruption, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression. It has led to the postponement or cancellation of events, widespread supply shortages exacerbated by panic buying, agricultural disruption and food shortages, and decreased emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Educational institutions have been partially or fully closed. Misinformation has circulated through social media and mass media. There have been incidents of xenophobia and discrimination against Chinese people and against those perceived as being Chinese or as being from areas with high infection rates.

Epidemiology:

Background:

Although it is still unknown exactly where the outbreak first started, several early infected people had visited Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, located in Wuhan, Hubei, China. 

On 11 February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) named the disease "COVID-19", which is short for coronavirus disease 2019. The virus that caused the outbreak is known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a newly discovered virus closely related to bat coronaviruses, pangolin coronaviruses, and SARS-CoV.

The scientific consensus is that COVID-19 has a natural origin. The probable bat-to-human infection may have been among people processing bat carcasses and guano in the production of traditional Chinese medicines.

The earliest known person with symptoms was later discovered to have fallen ill on 1 December 2019, and that person did not have visible connections with the later wet market cluster. Of the early cluster of cases reported that month, two-thirds were found to have a link with the market. There are several theories about when and where the very first case (the so-called patient zero) originated.

​Cases:
Main articles: COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory and COVID-19 pandemic cases

Official case counts refer to the number of people who have been tested for COVID-19 and whose test has been confirmed positive according to official protocols. Many countries, early on, had official policies to not test those with only mild symptoms. 

An analysis of the early phase of the outbreak up to 23 January estimated 86 percent of COVID-19 infections had not been detected, and that these undocumented infections were the source for 79 percent of documented cases. Several other studies, using a variety of methods, have estimated that numbers of infections in many countries are likely to be considerably greater than the reported cases.

On 9 April 2020, preliminary results found that 15 percent of people tested in Gangelt, the center of a major infection cluster in Germany, tested positive for antibodies. Screening for COVID-19 in pregnant women in New York City, and blood donors in the Netherlands, has also found rates of positive antibody tests that may indicate more infections than reported.

Seroprevalence based estimates are conservative as some studies shown that persons with mild symptoms do not have detectable antibodies. Some results (such as the Gangelt study) have received substantial press coverage without first passing through peer review.

Analysis by age in China indicates that a relatively low proportion of cases occur in individuals under 20. It was not clear whether this was because young people were less likely to be infected, or less likely to develop serious symptoms and seek medical attention and be tested. A retrospective cohort study in China found that children and adults were just as likely to be infected.

Initial estimates of the basic reproduction number (R0) for COVID-19 in January were between 1.4 and 2.5, but a subsequent analysis concluded that it may be about 5.7 (with a 95 percent confidence interval of 3.8 to 8.9). R0 can vary across populations and is not to be confused with the effective reproduction number (commonly just called R), which takes into account effects such as social distancing and herd immunity.

By mid-May 2020, the effective R was close to or below 1.0 in many countries, meaning the spread of the disease in these areas at that time was stable or decreasing.

Deaths​:
Main articles: COVID-19 pandemic deaths and COVID-19 pandemic death rates by country
Further information: List of deaths due to COVID-19

​Official deaths from COVID-19 generally refer to people who died after testing positive according to protocols. This may ignore deaths of people who die without having been tested. 

Conversely, deaths of people who had underlying conditions may lead to over-counting. Comparison of statistics for deaths for all causes versus the seasonal average indicates excess mortality in many countries. This may include deaths due to strained healthcare systems and bans on elective surgery. 

The first confirmed death was in Wuhan on 9 January 2020. The first reported death outside of China occurred on 1 February in the Philippines, and the first reported death outside Asia was in the United States on 6 February.

More than 95% of the people who contract COVID-19 recover. Otherwise, the time between symptoms onset and death usually ranges from 6 to 41 days, typically about 14 days. As of 5 December 2020, more than 1.52 million deaths had been attributed to COVID-19.

People at the greatest risk from COVID-19 tend to be those with underlying conditions, such as a weakened immune system, serious heart or lung problems, severe obesity, or the elderly.

On 24 March 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States, indicated the World Health Organization (WHO) had provided two codes for COVID-19: UO7.1 when confirmed by laboratory testing and U07.2 for clinically or epidemiological diagnosis where laboratory confirmation is inconclusive or not available. 

The CDC noted that "Because laboratory test results are not typically reported on death certificates in the U.S., [the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)] is not planning to implement U07.2 for mortality statistics" and that UO7.1 would be used "If the death certificate reports terms such as 'probable COVID-19' or 'likely COVID-19'."

The CDC also noted "It Is not likely that NCHS will follow up on these cases" and while the "underlying cause depends upon what and where conditions are reported on the death certificate, ... the rules for coding and selection of the ... cause of death are expected to result in COVID–19 being the underlying cause more often than not."

On 16 April 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), in its formal publication of the two codes, UO7.1 and UO7.2, "recognized that in many countries detail as to the laboratory confirmation... will not be reported [and] recommended, for mortality purposes only, to code COVID-19 provisionally to code U07.1 unless it is stated as 'probable' or 'suspected'." It was also noted that the WHO "does not distinguish" between infection by SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.

Multiple measures are used to quantify mortality. These numbers vary by region and over time, influenced by testing volume, healthcare system quality, treatment options, government response, time since the initial outbreak, and population characteristics, such as age, sex, and overall health.

​Countries like Belgium include deaths from suspected cases of COVID-19, regardless of whether the person was tested, resulting in higher numbers compared to countries that include only test-confirmed cases.

The death-to-case ratio reflects the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 divided by the number of diagnosed cases within a given time interval. Based on Johns Hopkins University statistics, the global death-to-case ratio is 2.3 percent (1,527,209 deaths for 66,442,818 cases) as of 5 December 2020. The number varies by region.

​Infection fatality ratio (IFR):

The most important metric in assessing death rate is the infection fatality ratio (IFR), which is deaths attributed to disease divided by individuals infected (including all asymptomatic and undiagnosed) to-date. In March, a peer-reviewed analysis of pre-serology data from mainland China yielded an overall IFR of 0.66% (with age-bracketed values ranging from 0.00161% for 0–9 years to 0.595% for 50–59 years to 7.8% for > 80 years).

In April 2020, an IFR range of 0.12–1.08% was derived from non-peer-reviewed serology surveys, with the upper bound characterized as much more credible and the range indicated as from 3 to 27 times deadlier than influenza (0.04%).

In July 2020, the US CDC adopted the IFR as a "more directly measurable parameter for disease severity for COVID-19" and computed an overall 'best estimate' for planning purposes for the U.S. of 0.65%. In September, the CDC computed an age-bracketed 'best estimate' for the U.S. of:
  • 0.003% for 0–19 years;
  • 0.02% for 20–49 years;
  • 0.5% for 50–69 years;
  • and 5.4% for 70+ years.

In August 2020, the WHO reported serology testing for three locations in Europe (with some data through 2 June) that showed IFR overall estimates converging at approximately 0.5-1% 

​A systematic review article in The BMJ advised that "caution is warranted ... using serological tests for ... epidemiological surveillance" and called for higher quality studies assessing accuracy with reference to a standard of "RT-PCR performed on at least two consecutive specimens, and, when feasible, includ[ing] viral cultures." CEBM researchers have called for in-hospital 'case definition' to record "CT lung findings and associated blood tests" and for the WHO to produce a "protocol to standardize the use and interpretation of PCR" with continuous re-calibration.

​In September 2020, a Bulletin of the World Health Organization article by John Ioannidis estimated global IFR inferred from seroprevalence data at 0.23% overall and 0.05% for people < 70 years, much lower than estimates made earlier in the pandemic.

Ioannides criticized prior "average IFR ... irresponsibly circulated widely in media and social media" as "probably extremely flawed as they depended on erroneous modeling assumptions, and/or focused only on selecting mostly studies from countries high death burden (that indeed have higher IFRs), and/or were done by inexperienced authors who used overtly wrong meta-analysis methods in a situation where there is extreme between-study heterogeneity.

As the data for his analysis was drawn "predominantly from hard-hit epicenters", Ioannides indicates that even lower "average values of 0.15–0.25% ... and 0.03–0.04% for <70 years) as of October 2020 are plausible." He also notes that in European countries with a large numbers of cases and deaths and in the U.S., "many, and in many cases most, deaths occurred in nursing homes".

On 6 October 2020, Dr. Mike Ryan, director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme announced "Our current best estimates tell us that about 10% of the global population may have been infected by this virus." 

Also in October, the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) reported a 'presumed estimate' of global IFR at between 0.10% to 0.35%, noting that this will vary between populations due to differences in demographics. 

These researchers noted a decrease in IFR in England over time; and, for the UK and Italy (the two Europeans nations worst hit by COVID-19), attribute the rise in daily cases, stability in daily deaths, and shift of cases to a younger population to waning viral circulation, misapplication of testing, and misinterpretation of test results rather than to prevention, treatment, or virus mutation.

Case fatality ratio (CFR):

Another metric in assessing death rate is the case fatality ratio (CFR), which is deaths attributed to disease divided by individuals diagnosed to-date.

​This metric can be misleading because of the delay between symptom onset and death and because testing focuses on individuals with symptoms (and particularly on those manifesting more severe symptoms).

On 4 August, WHO indicated "at this early stage of the pandemic, most estimates of fatality ratios have been based on cases detected through surveillance and calculated using crude methods, giving rise to widely variable estimates of CFR by country – from less than 0.1% to over 25%."

​Disease:
Main article: Coronavirus disease 2019

Signs and symptoms:
Main article: Symptoms of COVID-19

​Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, but usually include fever and a cough. People with the same infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time.

For example, one person may have a high fever, a cough, and fatigue, and another person may have a low fever at the start of the disease and develop difficulty breathing a week later. However, in people without prior ears, nose, and throat (ENT) disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell is associated with COVID-19 with a specificity of 95%.

As is common with infections, there is a delay, known as the incubation period, between the moment a person first becomes infected and the appearance of the first symptoms.

The median incubation period for COVID-19 is four to five days. Most symptomatic people experience symptoms within two to seven days after exposure, and almost all symptomatic people will experience one or more symptoms before day twelve.

Around one in five people are infected with the virus but do not develop noticeable symptoms at any point in time. These asymptomatic carriers tend not to get tested, and they can spread the disease. Other infected people will develop symptoms later (called pre-symptomatic) or have very mild symptoms, and can also spread the virus.

Transmission:
Main article: Transmission of COVID-19

COVID-19 spreads from person to person mainly through the respiratory route after an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes. A new infection occurs when virus-containing particles exhaled by an infected person, either respiratory droplets or aerosols, get into the mouth, nose, or eyes of other people who are in close contact with the infected person.

During human-to-human transmission, an average 1000 infectious SARS-CoV-2 virions are thought to initiate a new infection.

The closer people interact, and the longer they interact, the more likely they are to transmit COVID-19. Closer distances can involve larger droplets (which fall to the ground) and aerosols, whereas longer distances only involve aerosols. The larger droplets may also evaporate into the aerosols (known as droplet nuclei).

The relative importance of the larger droplets and the aerosols is not clear as of November 2020, however the virus is not known to transmit between rooms over long distances such as through air ducts. Airborne transmission is able to particularly occur indoors, in high risk locations, such as in restaurants, choirs, gyms, nightclubs, offices, and religious venues, often when they are crowded or less ventilated. It also occurs in healthcare settings, often when aerosol-generating medical procedures are performed on COVID-19 patients.

The number of people generally infected by one infected person varies; as of September 2020 it was estimated that one infected person will, on average, infect between two and three other people. This is more infectious than influenza, but less so than measles. It often spreads in clusters, where infections can be traced back to an index case or geographical location. There is a major role of  "super-spreading events", where many people are infected by one person.

Cause:
Main article: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the strain of coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colloquially known as simply the coronavirus, it was previously referred to by its provisional name, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and has also been called human coronavirus 2019 (HCoV-19 or hCoV-19).

Epidemiological studies estimate each infection results in 5.7 new ones when no members of the community are immune and no preventive measures taken. The virus primarily spreads between people through close contact and via respiratory droplets produced from coughs or sneezes It mainly enters human cells by binding to the receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

​Diagnosis:
Main article: Coronavirus disease 2019 § Diagnosis
Further information: COVID-19 testing

​The standard method of testing for presence of SARS-CoV-2 is real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), which detects the presence of viral RNA fragments. 

As this test detects RNA but not infectious virus, its "ability to determine duration of infectivity of patients is limited." The test is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab; however, a nasal swab or sputum sample may also be used.

Results are generally available within a few hours to two days. Blood tests can be used, but these require two blood samples taken two weeks apart, and the results have little immediate value. The WHO has published several testing protocols for the disease.

Chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection but are not recommended for routine screening. Bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacities with a peripheral, asymmetric, and posterior distribution are common in early infection. 

​Subpleural dominance, crazy paving (lobular septal thickening with variable alveolar filling), and consolidation may appear as the disease progresses. Characteristic imaging features on chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) of people who are symptomatic include asymmetric peripheral ground-glass opacities without pleural effusions.
​
Prevention:
Further information: 
​The first COVID-19 vaccine was granted regulatory approval on 2 December by the UK medicines regulator MHRA. It is under evaluation for emergency use authorization (EUA) status by the US FDA, and in several other countries. 

The US National Institutes of Health guidelines do not recommend any medication for prevention of COVID-19, before or after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, outside the setting of a clinical trial. 

Without a vaccine, other prophylactic measures, or effective treatments, a key part of managing COVID-19 is trying to decrease and delay the epidemic peak, known as "flattening the curve". This is done by slowing the infection rate to decrease the risk of health services being overwhelmed, allowing for better treatment of current cases, and delaying additional cases until effective treatments or a vaccine become available.

Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection include staying at home, wearing a mask in public, avoiding crowded places, keeping distance from others, ventilating indoor spaces, washing hands with soap and water often and for at least 20 seconds, practicing good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

Those diagnosed with COVID-19 or who believe they may be infected are advised by the CDC to stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask before entering the healthcare provider's office and when in any room or vehicle with another person, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items.

Vaccine:
Main article: COVID-19 vaccine

A COVID‑19 vaccine is any of several different vaccine technologies intended to provide acquired immunity against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19). Previous work to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus diseases SARS and MERS established knowledge about the structure and function of coronaviruses, which accelerated development during early 2020 of varied technology platforms for a COVID‑19 vaccine.

As of December 2020, 59 vaccine candidates were in clinical research: namely 42 in Phase I–II trials and 17 in Phase II–III trials. No vaccine candidate has yet fully completed a Phase III trial.

In November 2020, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, Moderna and the University of Oxford (in collaboration with AstraZeneca), announced positive results from interim analyses of their Phase III vaccine trials.

On 2 December, temporary regulatory approval was granted by the UK medicines regulator MHRA for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is also under evaluation for emergency use authorization (EUA) status by the US FDA, and in several other countries.

On 4 February 2020, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar published a notice of declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for medical countermeasures against COVID‑19, covering "any vaccine, used to treat, diagnose, cure, prevent, or mitigate COVID‑19, or the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 or a virus mutating therefrom", and stating that the declaration precludes "liability claims alleging negligence by a manufacturer in creating a vaccine, or negligence by a health care provider in prescribing the wrong dose, absent willful misconduct".

The declaration is effective in the United States through 1 October 2024.

Treatment:
Main article: Treatment and management of COVID-19
See also: COVID-19 drug repurposing research and COVID-19 drug development

​Antiviral medications are under investigation for COVID-19, though none have yet been shown to be clearly effective on mortality in published randomized controlled trials. 

However, remdesivir may affect the time it takes to recover from the virus. Emergency use authorization for remdesivir was granted in the U.S. on 1 May, for people hospitalized with severe COVID-19. The interim authorization was granted considering the lack of other specific treatments, and that its potential benefits appear to outweigh the potential risks. 

In September 2020, following a review of later research, the WHO recommended that remdesivir not be used for any cases of COVID-19, as there was no good evidence of benefit. In severe cases, the use of corticosteroids can reduce the risk of death.

Taking over-the-counter cold medications, drinking fluids, and resting may help alleviate symptoms. Depending on the severity, oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, and breathing support may be required. The safety and effectiveness of convalescent plasma as a treatment option requires further research.

Prognosis:
Further information: Coronavirus disease 2019 § Prognosis

The severity of COVID-19 varies. The disease may take a mild course with few or no symptoms, resembling other common upper respiratory diseases such as the common cold.

Mild cases typically recover within two weeks, while those with severe or critical diseases may take three to six weeks to recover. Among those who have died, the time from symptom onset to death has ranged from two to eight weeks. 

The Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità reported that the median time between the onset of symptoms and death was twelve days, with seven being spent hospitalised. However, people transferred to an ICU had a median time of ten days between hospitalisation and death.

Prolonged prothrombin time and elevated C-reactive protein levels on admission to the hospital are associated with severe course of COVID-19 and with a transfer to ICU.

Some early studies suggest 10% to 20% of people with COVID-19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month. A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems including fatigue and shortness of breath. 

On 30 October 2020 WHO chief Tedros has warned that "to a significant number of people, the COVID virus poses a range of serious long-term effects". He has described the vast spectrum of COVID-19 symptoms that fluctuate over time as "really concerning."

They range from fatigue, a cough and shortness of breath, to inflammation and injury of major organs – including the lungs and heart, and also neurological and psychologic effects.

Symptoms often overlap and can affect any system in the body. Infected people have reported cyclical bouts of fatigue, headaches, months of complete exhaustion, mood swings and other symptoms. Tedros has underlined that therefore herd immunity is "morally unconscionable and unfeasible".

Mitigation:
Main article: Mitigation of COVID-19

​Screening, containment and mitigation:

​Strategies in the control of an outbreak are screening, containment (or suppression), and mitigation. Screening is done with a device such as a thermometer to detect the elevated body temperature associated with fevers caused by the coronavirus. 

Containment is undertaken in the early stages of the outbreak and aims to trace and isolate those infected as well as introduce other measures to stop the disease from spreading. When it is no longer possible to contain the disease, efforts then move to the mitigation stage: measures are taken to slow the spread and mitigate its effects on the healthcare system and on society.

A combination of both containment and mitigation measures may be undertaken at the same time. Suppression requires more extreme measures so as to reverse the pandemic by reducing the basic reproduction number to less than 1.

Part of managing an infectious disease outbreak is trying to delay and decrease the epidemic peak, known as flattening the epidemic curve. This decreases the risk of health services being overwhelmed and provides more time for vaccines and treatments to be developed.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions that may manage the outbreak include personal preventive measures such as hand hygiene, wearing face masks, and self-quarantine; community measures aimed at physical distancing such as closing schools and cancelling mass gathering events; community engagement to encourage acceptance and participation in such interventions; as well as environmental measures such surface cleaning.

More drastic actions aimed at containing the outbreak were taken in China once the severity of the outbreak became apparent, such as quarantining entire cities and imposing strict travel bans. 

Other countries also adopted a variety of measures aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. South Korea introduced the mass screening and localized quarantines and issued alerts on the movements of infected individuals. Singapore provided financial support for those infected who quarantined themselves and imposed large fines for those who failed to do so. Taiwan increased face mask production and penalized the hoarding of medical supplies.

Simulations for Great Britain and the United States show that mitigation (slowing but not stopping epidemic spread) and suppression (reversing epidemic growth) have major challenges. Optimal mitigation policies might reduce peak healthcare demand by two-thirds and deaths by half, but still result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and overwhelmed health systems.

Suppression can be preferred but needs to be maintained for as long as the virus is circulating in the human population (or until a vaccine becomes available), as transmission otherwise quickly rebounds when measures are relaxed. Long-term intervention to suppress the pandemic has considerable social and economic costs.

Contact tracing:
See also: Management of COVID-19 § Information technology

Contact tracing is an important method for health authorities to determine the source of infection and to prevent further transmission. The use of location data from mobile phones by governments for this purpose has prompted privacy concerns, with Amnesty International and more than a hundred other organizations issuing a statement calling for limits on this kind of surveillance.

Several mobile apps have been implemented or proposed for voluntary use, and as of 7 April 2020 more than a dozen expert groups were working on privacy-friendly solutions such as using Bluetooth to log a user's proximity to other cellphones. (Users are alerted if they have been near someone who subsequently tests positive.)

On 10 April 2020, Google and Apple jointly announced an initiative for privacy-preserving contact tracing based on Bluetooth technology and cryptography. The system is intended to allow governments to create official privacy-preserving coronavirus tracking apps, with the eventual goal of integration of this functionality directly into the iOS and Android mobile platforms. 

In Europe and in the U.S., Palantir Technologies is also providing COVID-19 tracking services.

Health care:
Further information: 
Increasing capacity and adapting healthcare for the needs of COVID-19 patients is described by the WHO as a fundamental outbreak response measure. 

The ECDC and the European regional office of the WHO have issued guidelines for hospitals and primary healthcare services for shifting of resources at multiple levels, including:
  • focusing laboratory services towards COVID-19 testing,
  • cancelling elective procedures whenever possible,
  • separating and isolating COVID-19 positive patients,
  • and increasing intensive care capabilities by training personnel and increasing the number of available ventilators and beds.

In addition, in an attempt to maintain physical distancing, and to protect both patients and clinicians, in some areas non-emergency healthcare services are being provided virtually.

Due to capacity limitations in the standard supply chains, some manufacturers are 3D printing healthcare material such as nasal swabs and ventilator parts. 

In one example, when an Italian hospital urgently required a ventilator valve, and the supplier was unable to deliver in the timescale required, a local startup received legal threats due to alleged patent infringement after reverse-engineering and printing the required hundred valves overnight. 

On 23 April 2020, NASA reported building, in 37 days, a ventilator which is currently undergoing further testing. NASA is seeking fast-track approval.

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Global Covid-19 Pandemic:

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Impact of the Covid-19 PandemicPictured below: COVID-19 and the Personal and Professional Impacts on Public Sector Employees
​Economic impact:
Main article: Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
By country:
By industry:
Impact on culture and entertainment:
Impact on information:
Impact on society and rights:
Political impact:
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
Others:






​
Covid-19 Pandemic in the United States [Timeline 10/2/2021] Pictured below: COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people by state, as of September 25, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 43,618,627 confirmed cases have been reported since January 2020, with 700,285 deaths, the most of any country, and the twenty-second-highest per capita worldwide.

As many infections have gone undetected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that, as of May 2021, there could be a total 120.2 million infections in the United States, or more than a third of the total population. COVID-19 is:
U.S. life expectancy dropped by 3 years for Hispanic Americans, 2.9 years for African Americans, and 1.2 years for white Americans from 2019 to 2020.

On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and President Donald Trump declared the U.S. outbreak a public health emergency on January 31.

Restrictions were placed on flights arriving from China, but the initial U.S. response to the pandemic was otherwise slow, in terms of preparing the healthcare system, stopping other travel, and testing. Meanwhile, Trump remained optimistic and was accused by his critics of underestimating the severity of the virus.

The first known American deaths occurred in February. On March 6, 2020, Trump allocated $8.3 billion to fight the outbreak and declared a national emergency on March 13. The government also purchased large quantities of medical equipment, invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950 to assist. 

By mid-April, disaster declarations were made by all states and territories as they all had increasing cases. A second wave of infections began in June, following relaxed restrictions in several states, leading to daily cases surpassing 60,000. By mid-October, a third surge of cases began; there were over 200,000 new daily cases during parts of December 2020 and January 2021.

COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020 under emergency use, beginning the national vaccination programme, with the first vaccine officially approved by the FDA on August 23, 2021. All studies have shown them to be highly protective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. In comparison with fully vaccinated people, the CDC found that those who were not vaccinated were from 5 to nearly 30 times more likely to become either infected or hospitalized.

There has nonetheless been some vaccine hesitancy for various reasons, although side effects are rare. There have also been numerous reports that unvaccinated COVID-19 patients have strained the capacity of hospitals throughout the country, forcing many to turn away patients with life-threatening diseases.

A fourth rise in infections began in late March amidst the rise of the Alpha variant. Alpha , a more easily transmissible variant first detected in the United Kingdom. That was followed by a rise of the Delta variant, an even more infectious mutation first detected in India, leading to increased efforts to ensure safety. 

State and local responses to the pandemic have included mask mandates, prohibition and cancellation of large-scale gatherings (including festivals and sporting events), stay-at-home orders, and school closures. 

Disproportionate numbers of cases have been observed among Black and Latino populations, as well as elevated levels of vaccine hesitancy, and there were reported incidents of xenophobia and racism against Asian Americans. Clusters of infections and deaths have occurred in many areas.

​Timeline:
Main articles:  See also: 
​December 2019 to April 2020:

In late November 2019, COVID-19 infections had first broken out in Wuhan, China. China publicly reported the cluster on December 31, 2019. After China confirmed that the cluster of infections was caused by a novel infectious coronavirus on January 7, 2020, the CDC issued an official health advisory the following day.

On January 20, the World Health Organization (WHO) and China both confirmed that human-to-human transmission had occurred. The CDC immediately activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to respond to the outbreak in China.Also, the first report of a COVID-19 case in the U.S. was publicly reported, though the All of Us study (released in 2021) showed five states already had cases weeks earlier. 

After other cases were reported, on January 30, the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) – its highest level of alarm – warning that "all countries should be prepared for containment." The same day, the CDC confirmed the first person-to-person case in the US. 

The next day, the country declared a public health emergency. Although by that date there were only seven known cases in the US, the HHS and CDC reported that there was a likelihood of further cases appearing in the country.

The Trump administration evacuated American nationals from Wuhan in late January. On February 2, the U.S. enacted travel restrictions to and from China. On February 6, the earliest confirmed American death with COVID-19 (that of a 57-year-old woman) occurred in Santa Clara County, California.

The CDC did not report its confirmation until April 21, by which point nine other COVID-19 deaths had occurred in Santa Clara County. The virus had been circulating undetected at least since early January and possibly as early as November. On February 25, the CDC warned the American public for the first time to prepare for a local outbreak. 

The next day, New York City saw the sickening of its "patient zero", Manhattan attorney Lawrence Garbuz, then thought to be the first community-acquired case. In February, Vice President Mike Pence took over for Secretary Alex Azar as chair of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
​
​By March 11, the virus had spread to 110 countries, and the WHO officially declared a pandemic. The CDC had already warned that large numbers of people needing hospital care could overload the healthcare system, which would lead to otherwise preventable deaths. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the mortality from COVID-19 was ten times higher than the common flu. 

By March 12, diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. exceeded a thousand. On March 16, the White House advised against any gatherings of more than ten people. Three days later, the United States Department of State advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel.

By the middle of March, all fifty states were able to perform tests with a doctor's approval, either from the CDC or from commercial labs. However, the number of available test kits remained limited. As cases began spreading throughout the nation, federal and state agencies began taking urgent steps to prepare for a surge of hospital patients. Among the actions was establishing additional places for patients in case hospitals became overwhelmed.

Throughout March and early April, several state, city, and county governments imposed "stay at home" quarantines on their populations to stem the spread of the virus. By March 27, the country had reported over 100,000 cases. On April 2, at President Trump's direction, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and CDC ordered additional preventive guidelines to the long-term care facility industry.

On April 11, the U.S. death toll became the highest in the world when the number of deaths reached 20,000, surpassing that of Italy. On April 19, the CMS added new regulations requiring nursing homes to inform residents, their families and representatives, of COVID-19 cases in their facilities. On April 28, the total number of confirmed cases across the country surpassed 1 million.

May to August 2020:

By May 27, less than four months after the pandemic reached the US, 100,000 Americans had died with COVID-19. State economic reopenings and lack of widespread mask orders resulted in a sharp rise in cases across most of the continental U.S. outside of the Northeast. 

A study conducted in May 2020 indicated that the true number of COVID-19 cases in the United States was much higher than the number of confirmed cases with some locations having 6–24 times higher infections, which was further confirmed by a later population-wide serosurvey.

On July 6, the United States Department of State announced the country's withdrawal from WHO effective July 6, 2021. On July 10, the CDC adopted the Infection Fatality Ratio (IFR), "the number of individuals who die of the disease among all infected individuals (symptomatic and asymptomatic)", as a new metric for disease severity. 

In July, US PIRG and 150 health professionals sent a letter asking the federal government to "shut it down now, and start over". In July and early August, requests multiplied, with a number of experts asking for lockdowns of "six to eight weeks" that they believed would restore the country by October 1, in time to reopen schools and have an in-person election.

In August, over 400,000 people attended the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, and from there, at least 300 people in more than 20 states were infected. The CDC followed up with a report on the associated 51 confirmed primary event-associated cases, 21 secondary cases, and five tertiary cases in the neighboring state of Minnesota, where one attendee died of COVID-19.

The U.S. passed five million COVID-19 cases by August 8.

September to December 2020:
See also: White House COVID-19 outbreak

On September 22, the U.S. passed 200,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In early October, an unprecedented series of high-profile U.S. political figures and staffers announced they had tested positive for COVID-19. 

On October 2, Trump announced on Twitter that both he and the First Lady had tested positive for the coronavirus and would immediately quarantine. Trump was given an experimental Regeneron product with two monoclonal antibodies and taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was given remdesivir and dexamethasone.

USA Today studied the aftermath of presidential election campaigning, recognizing that
causation was impossible to determine. Among their findings, cases increased 35 percent compared to 14 percent for the state after a Trump rally in Beltrami County, Minnesota. One case was traced to a Joe Biden rally in Duluth, Minnesota.

On November 9, President-elect Biden's transition team announced his COVID-19 Advisory Board. On the same day, the total number of cases had surpassed ten million while the total had risen by over a million in the ten days prior, averaging 102,300 new cases per day. Pfizer also announced that its COVID-19 vaccine may be up to ninety percent effective. 

In November, the Trump administration reached an agreement with a number of retail outlets, including pharmacies and supermarkets, to make the COVID-19 vaccine free once available.

In spite of recommendations by the government not to travel, more than 2 million people flew on airlines during the Thanksgiving period. On December 8, the U.S. passed 15 million cases, with about one out of every 22 Americans having tested positive since the pandemic began. On December 14, the U.S. passed 300,000 deaths, representing an average of more than 961 deaths per day since the first known death on February 6. More than 50,000 deaths were reported in the past month, with an average of 2,403 daily deaths occurring in the past week.

On December 24, following concerns over a probably more easily transmissible new SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom, later called Alpha, the CDC announced testing requirements for American passengers traveling from the UK, to be administered within 72 hours, starting on December 28. 

On December 29, the U.S. reported the first case of this variant in Colorado. The patient had no travel history, leading the CDC to state, "Given the small fraction of US infections that have been sequenced, the variant could already be in the United States without having been detected."

January to April 2021:
See also: COVID-19 vaccination in the United States

On January 1, 2021, the U.S. passed 20 million cases, representing an increase of more than a million over the past week and 10 million in less than two months. On January 6, the CDC announced that it had found at least 52 confirmed cases of the Alpha variant, and it also stressed that there could already be more cases in the country. 

In the following days, more cases of the variant were reported in other states, leading former CDC director Tom Frieden to express his concerns that the U.S. will soon face "close to a worst-case scenario". It was believed the variant had been present in the U.S. since October.

On January 19, the U.S. passed 400,000 deaths, just five weeks after the country passed 300,000 deaths. On January 22, the U.S. passed 25 million cases, with one of every 13 Americans testing positive for COVID-19. By March 5, more than 2,750 cases of COVID-19 variants were detected in 47 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. 

On February 22, the U.S. passed 500,000 deaths, just five weeks after the country passed 400,000 deaths. In the first prime time address of his presidency on March 11, Biden announced his plan to push states to make vaccines available to all adults by May 1, with the aim of making small gatherings possible by July 4. 

On March 24, the U.S. passed 30 million cases, just as a number of states began to expand the eligibility age for COVID-19 vaccines. Experts began warning against public relaxation of COVID-19 mitigation measures as vaccines continue to be administered, with one, CDC director Rochelle Walensky, warning of a new rise in cases.

By April 7, the Alpha variant had become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the US On April 12, the U.S. reported its first cases of a new "double mutant" SARS-CoV-2 variant from India, later called Delta, in California. By April 25, the country's seven-day average of new infections was reported to be decreasing, but concerns were raised about drops in vaccine demand in certain parts of the US, which were attributed to vaccine hesitancy. 

On April 29, the CDC estimated that roughly 35% of the U.S. population had been infected with the virus as of March 2021, about four times higher than the official reported numbers.

May to August 2021:

On May 4, Biden announced a new goal of having 70 percent of all adults in the U.S. receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot by July 4, along with steps to vaccinate teenagers and more inaccessible populations. The country ultimately did not reach that goal, with only 67 percent of the overall adult population having done so by July 4. 

On May 6, a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimated that the true COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. was more than 900,000 people. On May 9, Dr. Fauci confirmed that the U.S. death toll was likely undercounted.

On May 13, the CDC changed its guidance and said that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks in most situations. Some states ended their mask mandates shortly after, while others maintained the mandate.

The CDC was criticized for the confusion resulting from the announcement, as it did not remove existing state and local mandates. The guidance also did not remove the federal mask mandate on public transportation. On June 15, the U.S. passed 600,000 deaths, though the number of daily deaths had decreased due to vaccination efforts.

By late June, COVID-19 cases rose again, especially in Arkansas, Nevada, Missouri, and Wyoming. The rising numbers were believed to be attributable to the Delta variant. By July 7, the Delta variant had surpassed the Alpha variant to become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the US, according to CDC data. By late August the Delta variant accounted for 99 percent of all cases and was found to double the risk of hospitalization for those not yet vaccinated.

On August 1, the U.S. passed 35 million cases. By early and mid-August, hospitals in some states with low vaccination rates began to exceed capacity. One-quarter of the U.S. population resides in eight states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, and Texas—but, by mid-August, these states together had a half of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the nation. By the end of the month, the ICUs of five of those—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and Texas—were over 90% full.

September to October 2021:

On September 8, the U.S. passed 40 million cases. By September 15, one in every 500 Americans had died from COVID-19. By September 20, COVID-19 had killed over 675,000 Americans, the estimated number of American deaths from the Spanish flu in 1918. As a result, COVID-19 became the deadliest respiratory pandemic in recent American history. 

The Associated Press called the new numbers a "colossal tragedy" because, despite a century of advances in science, the country failed to take full advantage of vaccines. On October 1, the U.S. passed 700,000 deaths.

Responses:

See also: 
On January 28, 2020, the CDC updated its China travel recommendations to level 3, its highest alert. On February 8, the WHO's director-general announced that a team of international experts had been assembled to travel to China and he hoped officials from the CDC would also be part of that mission. 

In late January, Boeing announced a donation of 250,000 medical masks to help address China's supply shortages. On February 7, the State Department said it had facilitated the transportation of nearly eighteen tons of medical supplies to China, including masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials. On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo announced a $100 million pledge to China and other countries to assist with their fights against the virus.

Contact tracing is a tool to control transmission rates during the reopening process. Some states like Texas and Arizona opted to proceed with reopening without adequate contact tracing programs in place. Health experts have expressed concerns about training and hiring enough personnel to reduce transmission.

Privacy concerns have prevented measures such as those imposed in South Korea where authorities used cellphone tracking and credit card details to locate and test thousands of nightclub patrons when new cases began emerging. Funding for contact tracing is thought to be insufficient, and even better-funded states have faced challenges getting in touch with contacts.

Congress has allocated $631 million for state and local health surveillance programs, but the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security estimates that $3.6 billion will be needed. The cost rises with the number of infections, and contact tracing is easier to implement when the infection count is lower.

Health officials are also worried that low-income communities will fall further behind in contact tracing efforts which "may also be hobbled by long-standing distrust among minorities of public health officials". As of July 1, only four states are using contact tracing apps as part of their state-level strategies to control transmission. The apps document digital encounters between smartphones, so the users will automatically be notified if someone they had contact with has tested positive.

Public health officials in California claim that most of the functionality could be duplicated by using text, chat, email, and phone communications.

In the United States, remdesivir is indicated for use in adults and adolescents (aged twelve years and older with body weight at least 40 kilograms (88 lb)) for the treatment of COVID‑19 requiring hospitalization. The FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the combination of baricitinib with remdesivir, for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized people two years of age or older requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). 

In early March, President Trump directed the FDA to test certain medications to discover if they had the potential to treat COVID-19 patients. Among those were chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which have been successfully used to treat malaria for over fifty years. A small test in France by researcher Didier Raoult had given positive results, although the study was criticized for design flaws, small sample size, and the fact that it was published before peer review.

On March 28, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) which allowed certain hospitalized COVID-19 patients to be treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine. On June 15, the FDA revoked the EUA for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as potential treatments for COVID-19, saying the available evidence showed "no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery". However, Trump continued to promote the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 through late July.

From early 2020, more than 70 companies worldwide (with five or six operating primarily in the US) began vaccine research. In preparation for large-scale production, Congress set aside more than $3.5 billion for this purpose as part of the CARES Act. 

On November 20, 2020, the Pfizer–BioNTech partnership submitted a request for emergency use authorization for its vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which was granted on December 11. On December 18, 2020, the FDA granted the Moderna vaccine emergency use authorization, which Moderna had requested on November 30, 2020. Starting on December 14, 2020, the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered.

Polling showed a significant partisan divide regarding the outbreak. In February 2020, similar numbers of Democrats and Republicans believed COVID-19 was "a real threat": 70% and 72%, respectively. By mid-March 2020, 76% of Democrats viewed COVID-19 as "a real threat", while only 40% of Republicans agreed. In mid-March, various polls found Democrats were more likely than Republicans to believe "the worst was yet to come" (79–40%), to believe their lives would change in a major way due to the outbreak (56–26%), and to take certain precautions against the virus (83–53%). 

The CDC was the most trusted source of information about the outbreak (85%), followed by the WHO (77%), state and local government officials (70–71%), the news media (47%), and Trump (46%). A May 2020 poll concluded that 54% of people in the U.S. felt the federal government was doing a poor job in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the country. 57% felt the federal government was not doing enough to address the limited availability of COVID-19 testing. 58% felt the federal government was not doing enough to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 cases later in 2020.

In September 2020, Pew Research Center found that the global image of the United States had suffered in many foreign nations. In some nations, the United States' favorability rating had reached a record low since Pew began collecting this data nearly twenty years ago.

Across thirteen different nations, a median of fifteen percent of respondents rated the U.S. response to the pandemic positively.

Impacts:

Economic:
Main articles: Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and COVID-19 recession
​
The pandemic, along with the resultant stock market crash and other impacts, led a recession in the United States following the economic cycle peak in February 2020. The economy contracted 4.8 percent from January through March 2020, and the unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent in April. 

The total healthcare costs of treating the epidemic could be anywhere from $34 billion to $251 billion according to analysis presented by The New York Times. A study by economists Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson indicated that most economic impact due to consumer behavior changes was prior to mandated lockdowns. 

During the second quarter of 2020, the U.S. economy suffered its largest drop on record, with GDP falling at an annualized rate of 32.9 percent. As of June 2020, the U.S. economy was over ten percent smaller than it was in December 2019.

In September, Bain & Company reported on the tumultuous changes in consumer behavior before and during the pandemic. Potentially permanently, they found acceleration towards e-commerce, online primary healthcare, livestreamed gym workouts, and moviegoing via subscription television.

Concurrent searches for both low-cost and premium products, and a shift to safety over sustainability, occurred alongside rescinded bans and taxes on single-use plastics, and losses of three to seven years of gains in out-of-home foodservice. OpenTable estimated in May that 25 percent of American restaurants would close their doors permanently.
​
The economic impact and mass unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has raised fears of a mass eviction crisis, with an analysis by the Aspen Institute indicating 30–40 million are at risk for eviction by the end of 2020. According to a report by Yelp, about sixty percent of U.S. businesses that have closed since the start of the pandemic will stay shut permanently.

Social:
Main articles: 
​The pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the disease itself and efforts to contain it, including political, cultural, and social implications.

From the earliest days of the pandemic, there were reported incidents of xenophobia and racism against Asian Americans. During the first year, an ad-hoc organization called Stop AAPI Hate received 3,795 reports of racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Disproportionate numbers of cases have been observed among Black and Latino populations. Of four studies published in September 2020, three found clear disparities due to race and the fourth found slightly better survival rates for Hispanics and Blacks. As of September 15, 2020, Blacks had COVID-19 mortality rates more than twice as high as the rate for Whites and Asians, who have the lowest rates. CNN reported in May 2020 that the Navajo Nation had the highest rate of infection in the United States. 

June 2021, the CDC confirmed these numbers, reporting that American Indian or Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic persons had the highest rates of both hospitalizations and deaths, while Hispanic and Latino persons suffered the highest rates of COVID compared to White persons. However the CDC noted that only 61% of case reports included race and ethnicity data, which could result in inaccurate estimates of the relative risk among groups.  

Additionally, a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine in July 2020 revealed that the effect of stress and weathering on minority groups decreases their stamina against COVID.

From 2019 to 2020 in the United States, the life expectancy of a Hispanic American decreased 3 years, for an African American 2.9 years, and for a White American 1.2 years. The COVID Tracking Project published data revealing that people of color were contracting and dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than Whites.

An NPR analysis of April–September 2020 data from the COVID Tracking Project found that Black people's share of COVID-19 deaths across the United States was 1.5 times greater (in some states 2.5 times greater) than their share of the U.S. population.

Similarly, Hispanics and Latinos were disproportionately infected in 45 states and had a disproportionate share of the deaths in 19 states. Native American and Alaskan Native cases and deaths were disproportionally high in at least 21 states and, in some, as much as five times more than average. White non-Hispanics died at a lower rate than their share of the population in 36 states and D.C.

By April 2020, closed schools affected more than 55 million students.

Elections:
Further information:  ​​
The pandemic prompted calls from voting rights groups and some Democratic Party leaders to expand mail-in voting, while Republican leaders generally opposed the change. Some states were unable to agree on changes, resulting in lawsuits.

Responding to Democratic proposals for nationwide mail-in voting as part of a coronavirus relief law, President Trump said "you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again" despite evidence the change would not favor any particular group. Trump called mail-in voting "corrupt" and said voters should be required to show up in person, even though, as reporters pointed out, he had himself voted by mail in the last Florida primary.

Though mail-in vote fraud is slightly higher than in-person voter fraud, both instances are rare, and mail-in voting can be made more secure by disallowing third parties to collect ballots and providing free drop-off locations or prepaid postage.

High COVID-19 fatalities at the state and county level correlated with a drop in expressed support for the election of Republicans, including the reelection of Trump, according to a study published in Science Advances that compared opinions in January–February 2020 with opinions in June 2020.

Hospital care crisis:

This section is an excerpt from 2021 hospital crisis in the U.S. from COVID-19. In the spring of 2020, a few months after the COVID-19 pandemic began, it had created a crisis in many hospital systems of the United States. Some had started to run out of beds, along with having shortages of nurses and doctors.

By November 2020, with 13 million cases so far, hospitals throughout the country had been overwhelmed with record numbers of COVID-19 patients. Nursing students had to fill in on an emergency basis, and field hospitals were set up to handle the overflow.

​At the beginning of 2021, cases had reached a peak, forcing some hospitals to periodically close their doors because they were overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. In some places, as hospital space filled up, ambulances often waited hours to deliver patients. In addition, patients already admitted might get discharged earlier than usual to make room for others more severely ill.

By early September, at least seven states had called in their National Guard to help overworked hospitals, including Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina.

The summer of 2021 saw another surge due to the new Delta variant of the virus. As a result, health care in U.S. hospitals was severely affected and led to crisis standards of care. Many hospitals were thereby unable to offer adequate medical care as a result of tight resources.

For example, one hospital system in Oregon had to cancel or delay hundreds of surgeries as of mid-August. Hospitals also began seeing younger patients. And some experts found that the Delta variant was often more severe among younger age groups, whose vaccination rates were lower.

States like California saw over ten times more cases than they had just a few months earlier. By mid-August 2021, nearly all states experienced double-digit growth in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Some, like Washington, had a 34% increase of patients over a single week in September.

At various medical centers, ICUs had reached capacity, forcing doctors to postpone routine surgeries. In addition, countless hospitals were also short of beds and nurses, making care and response times a lot slower. It meant that patients might wait in the ER for many hours.

While some hospitals with no more capacity had to find alternate medical facilities in other states, often hundreds of miles away.

Vaccination campaign:
Further information: COVID-19 vaccination in the United States

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines:

This section is an excerpt from COVID-19 vaccine clinical research § Effectiveness.

Recent data from studies in the U.S. and in other countries found that the available COVID-19 vaccines from the United States are "highly protective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19." In comparison with fully vaccinated people, the CDC found that unvaccinated people were 5 times more likely to be infected, 10 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 11 times more likely to die. As of June 2021, over 96% of doctors were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

​By late August 2021, after the Delta variant became dominant, studies concluded that COVID-19 vaccines provided 55 percent protection against infection, 80 percent against symptomatic infection, and at least 90 percent against hospitalization. The Delta variant, which is about 40 percent more contagious than the alpha variant, became the dominant strain during the spring of 2021. However, the vaccines still protected against severe illness and hospitalizations with slight reduction in effectiveness. The CDC similarly found that vaccines were 90 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations.
​
As a result of the CDC reports, President Joe Biden said that "virtually all" COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. were among unvaccinated people. A study in the state of Washington found that unvaccinated people were six times more likely to test positive for COVID-19, 37 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 67 times more likely to die, compared to those who had been vaccinated.

In addition, unvaccinated COVID-19 patients have strained the capacity of hospitals throughout the country, forcing many to turn away patients with life-threatening diseases. 

Some overloaded hospitals have had to put beds in their parking garage, while others lacked both the space and capacity to properly treat new COVID-19 patients. In some cases, even after being admitted, their stay was cut short due to a surplus of patients and a shortage of rooms. The situation has led hospitals in states such as Tennessee, Idaho and Oregon to request help from the National Guard.

​Researchers note that although current vaccines were not designed against the Delta variant, they nonetheless are highly effective, but to a lesser degree: protection fell from 91% to 66%. One expert stated that "those who are infected following vaccination are still not getting sick and not dying like was happening before vaccination." "This virus is the most efficient virus for finding new hosts that are vulnerable," stated Dr. Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. 

By late August 2021 the Delta variant accounted for 99 percent of U.S. cases and was found to double the risk of severe illness and hospitalization for those not yet vaccinated.

Approximately 900,000 people a day in the U.S. were getting vaccinated during August 2021, with the daily pace of vaccinations accelerating. 

A large percentage of those are children over the age of twelve, as 68% of parents state that they already have their kids vaccinated or soon will have. For the 45 million children under 12, since they are not yet eligible for the vaccine, surveys indicate that once a vaccine is approved for them there may be a significant surge in the vaccination rate.

Below: Timeline of daily COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the US. Rolling 7-day average. See the date on the right side of the timeline below the graph. [courtesy of By Our World In Data. See Our World in Data. - https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-covid-19-vaccination-doses?country=~USA)]
Background to various vaccines:

These paragraphs are an excerpt from COVID-19 vaccination in the United States:

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States is an ongoing mass immunization campaign for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

The FDA first granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine on December 10, 2020; mass vaccinations began on December 14, 2020.

The Moderna vaccine was granted emergency use authorization on December 17, 2020, and the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine was granted emergency use authorization on February 27, 2021.

By April 19, 2021, all U.S. states had opened vaccine eligibility to residents aged 16 and over. On May 10, 2021, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15. On August 23, 2021, the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for individuals aged 16 and over.

​The U.S. government first initiated the campaign under the presidency of Donald Trump with Operation Warp Speed, a public–private partnership to expedite the development and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines. 

Joe Biden became the new President of the United States on January 20, 2021. Biden began his term with an immediate goal of administering 100 million vaccine doses within his first hundred days in office, signing an executive order which included increasing supplies for vaccination. This goal was met on March 19, 2021. 

On March 25, 2021, he announced he would increase the goal to 200 million within his first 100 days in office. This goal was eventually reached on April 21, 2021.

By July 4, 2021, 67% of the United States' adult population had received at least one dose, just short of a goal of 70%. This goal was eventually met on August 2, 2021. While vaccines have helped significantly reduce the number of new COVID-19 infections nationwide, states with below-average vaccination rates began to see increasing numbers of cases credited to the highly infectious Delta variant by July 2021, which led to an increased push by organizations and companies to begin imposing de facto mandates for their employees be vaccinated for COVID-19.

In early September 2021, President Biden announced plans by the federal government to use executive orders and emergency temporary standards enforced by OSHA to mandate the vaccination of all federal branch employees, and require that all companies with more than 100 employees regularly test all employees who are not yet fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Vaccine mandates:
Further information: COVID-19 vaccination mandates in the United States

By late August 2021, more than 800 colleges and universities, over 200 health care companies and dozens of states, local governments and school districts, had some type of vaccination requirements. President Biden has appealed to public organizations and private companies to require employees to be vaccinated, which companies are now legally allowed to do.

​Until August to September 2021, many companies were giving bonuses for getting vaccinated. Nonetheless, nearly 2,000 private hospitals and health systems had previously issued vaccine mandates. Many companies outside health care did the same, such as United Airlines, Tyson Foods, and Walmart among them.

Washington state had already required vaccines for all state employees and contractors. With the new Delta variant spreading infections more quickly due to its higher transmissibility, companies including Facebook, Google, and Salesforce, have already issued employee vaccine mandates.

According to a USA Today poll from August 2021, 68% supported a business's right to refuse service to unvaccinated customers, and 62% supported employer's right to mandate vaccinations to its employees. In the same poll, 72% also felt that mandating masks was "a matter of health and safety" and should not be considered an infringement on personal liberty.

Preparations made after previous outbreaks:
Further information: Pandemic predictions and preparations prior to the COVID-19 pandemic § United States

The United States has experienced pandemics and epidemics throughout its history, including the 1918 Spanish flu, the 1957 Asian flu, and the 1968 Hong Kong flu pandemics. 

In the most recent pandemic prior to COVID-19, the 2009 swine flu pandemic took the lives of more than 12,000 Americans and hospitalized another 270,000 over the course of approximately a year.

According to the Global Health Security Index, an American-British assessment which ranks the health security capabilities in 195 countries, the U.S. was the "most prepared" nation in 2020.

Statistics:
Main article: Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The CDC publishes official numbers of COVID-19 cases in the United States.

In February 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, a shortage of tests made it impossible to confirm all possible COVID-19 cases and resulting deaths, so the early numbers were likely undercounts. 

Another way to estimate COVID-19 deaths that includes unconfirmed cases is to use the excess mortality, which is the overall number of deaths that exceed what would normally be expected. From March 1, 2020 through the end of 2020, there were 522,368 excess deaths in the United States, which is 22.9% more than would have been expected in that time period. 

The CDC estimates that, between February 2020 and May 2021, only 1 in 1.3 COVID-19 deaths were attributed to COVID-19, and the true COVID-19 death toll was 767,000 as of May 2021.

See also:






​
The record-breaking tornadoes that swept the United States, by the numbers: Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021 Pictured below: Path of tornadoes traveling East from Arkansas to Ohio (courtesy of Washington Post)
The record-breaking tornadoes that swept the United States, by the numbers:

By Washington Post Staff
December 13, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. EST

Tornadoes ripped through parts of the South and Midwest, leaving behind loss and destruction on a scale difficult to fathom. Here are the key numbers to know.

December 13, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. EST rescue teams and volunteers combed through debris across nine states this weekend looking for survivors, the unprecedented scale of devastation left behind by the storm began to come into focus.
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Homes and businesses had been torn from their foundations. Two warehouses had collapsed, trapping and killing employees. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were left without power in mid-December, forcing Kentucky and Tennessee to open shelters where people could warm themselves.

In hardest-hit Kentucky, where multiple tornadoes touched down Friday night and into Saturday morning, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Monday that 74 deaths had been confirmed.
“Thousands of homes are damaged if not entirely destroyed,” Beshear said, “and it may be weeks before we have final counts on both deaths and levels of destruction.”

From a meteorological perspective, the storm will also stand out for its timing, duration and strength. For decades to come, meteorologists will focus on a particularly large supercell, or rotating thunderstorm, which spurred the tornado or series of twisters that caused the majority of the destruction, leading researchers to investigate if such events will happen more often in a warming world.

Both the human and economic costs of this 200-mile-long extreme weather event are still being tabulated. Here is a look at the devastation, by the numbers.

9 States impacted by the outbreak of tornadoes:

The National Weather Service received tornado reports from nine states, but most destruction was concentrated in northeast Arkansas, southeast Missouri, northwest Tennessee and western Kentucky. The largest tornado, which also could have been a series of tornadoes, trekked 250 miles across the four states and caused numerous deaths and major damage.

How the rare and deadly December tornado outbreak unfolded

​If confirmed as a single storm, this “quad-state tornado” would be the longest tornado trek in U.S. history and the first to cross four states.

Significant tornado damage was first noted near Monette, Ark., where a nursing home collapsed. The system continued through Mayfield, Ky., where the town was largely demolished and multiple fatalities took place at a candle factory. The storm continued to travel parallel to the Ohio River, about 35 miles to its south. It would eventually dissipate and join up with other storms as it entered Ohio.

Another tornado hit the St. Louis metropolitan area in Missouri and southwest Illinois. As it tore through Edwardsville, Ill., it killed at least six people at an Amazon warehouse and reduced large parts of the building to rubble, trapping employees beneath the debris. A seventh person was airlifted to a hospital.

Tornadoes were also reported in Indiana, Alabama and Mississippi.
​
Reports of deaths from the storm have ranged widely. After initially estimating that as many as 100 people were likely killed in Kentucky, Beshear said Monday that state officials had confirmed 74 deaths.

Of those, 20 deaths have been confirmed in Graves County, where some of the worst damage was inflicted on the city of Mayfield. Seven other counties reported deaths from the tornadoes, Beshear said, with victims ranging in age from 5 months to 86 years.

With more than 100 Kentuckians unaccounted for as of Monday morning, Beshear said he expected the death toll would rise in the coming days and weeks as emergency workers continue to comb through the rubble.

“Undoubtedly, there will be more,” he said. “We believe it will certainly be above 70, maybe even 80.”
Authorities in other states are still trying to determine the total dead. At least six deaths have been reported in Illinois, two in Missouri, two in Arkansas and four in Tennessee.

Kentucky officials struggle to count the dead after tornado disaster

The deadliest tornado event in December in modern U.S. history:

Before this year, the highest number of tornado-related fatalities during the month of December was 49 deaths in 1953.

December tornadoes aren’t exceptional. About two dozen form in the contiguous United States during the month. Two of the 15 deadliest outbreaks since 1950 have occurred outside of peak season, which lasts from March until June. But the violence and longevity of this storm was exceptional for December and any time of the year.

​Why the December tornado outbreak was something totally different

At 88 deaths, this storm ranks as the 11th deadliest tornado event in modern U.S. history:

The event, which has 88 confirmed deaths as of Monday, so far ranks as the 11th deadliest tornado day in modern U.S. history. If the death toll surpasses 100, the outbreak will become a top 10 deadly tornado day since 1950.

Until Friday, only a dozen days since 1950 have experienced more than 60 tornado-related deaths. Nine tornadoes have caused more than 100 fatalities in a single day.

Deadliest tornado in U.S. history hit the Midwest nearly a century ago

​Friday’s event is almost certainly the deadliest since a tornado killed more than 150 in Joplin, Mo., on May 22, 2011.

Carving a 250-mile course from Arkansas to Kentucky, the quad-state tornado could be the longest tornado path in U.S. history if confirmed by the National Weather Service.

While it may take days to verify the exact length, the trek is already historic. The National Weather Service confirmed a path spanning 132 miles from near Cayce, Ky., to at least Beaver Dam, Ky. [See illustration above.]

The current confirmation of 132 miles places it among just 21 other tornadoes since 1950, which put its in the top 0.03 percent longest tornadoes out of more than 65,000 verified tornadoes.

The deadly path of how the tornadoes ripped through several states

If the path exceeds 150 miles, the tornado would be one of 13 with such a track length. Only four tornadoes have journeyed above 200 miles, although some of the records are debatable.

​The epic 1925 tri-state twister is generally accepted at the longest track in the nation at 219 miles, but it is questionable as to whether it was one or several tornadoes. It is also possible the quad-state tornado consisted of more than a single tornado.

The life span of the storm in hours:

The rotating thunderstorm that tore through four states began around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 and continued through 2:40 a.m. the following day, according to one analysis. A typical supercell lasts about two hours. A long-lived supercell may last for four hours or more.

Even produced from these engines of nature, tornadoes tend to last mere seconds or minutes. While it’s possible this storm “cycled” during its path — wherein a tornado dies off as a new one forms — at least one tornado was on the ground for at least two hours. The total amount of time that tornadoes were on the ground during the storm is likely to double or more.

How fast a supercell is spinning or its rotational velocity can be measured by radar. The rotational speed peaked at 128 mph after the supercell passed through Mayfield on Friday, indicative of an exceptionally intense tornado. The storm rotated at an average of 94 mph for four hours. Only 1.5 percent of all tornadoes spin so fast, according to Evan Bentley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.

70 to 80 Degrees marking record warm temperatures in the zone ravaged by tornadoes:

On Friday, scores of record high temperatures were set from Texas to Pennsylvania, including in the nine-state region where tornadoes erupted. Temperatures in many areas were 20 to 30 degrees above normal. Memphis soared to 79 degrees, breaking its previous record for Dec. 10 by four degrees.

The warmth was supplied, in part, by record warm December waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

A warming world could add more fuel to tornadoes, scientists say

​The exceptionally warm conditions fast-forwarded the atmosphere to conditions more typical of April, fueling the severity of the outbreak and raising questions about the possible role of human-caused climate change in the disaster.

2 = The number of factory collapses responsible for fatalities from the tornadoes:

​An Amazon warehouse collapse in Illinois killed six and a candle factory collapse in Kentucky killed eight. An Amazon spokesperson reported that the Amazon facility had 11 minutes of warning, with managers “telling people to get to their shelter-in-place-area.”

70 Tornado reports received by the National Weather Service from Friday night to Saturday morning:

The unusually powerful storm slammed into parts of the Midwest and Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday, with the National Weather Service receiving 70 tornado reports.

This number may be an overestimate as there may have been multiple reports of the same tornado. The National Weather Service is conducting damage surveys this week to determine the number of tornadoes that touched down and rate their intensity. So far, 39 tornadoes have been confirmed.

The Weather Service also received 403 reports of damaging winds and 24 reports of large hail from Friday to Saturday morning.

149 Tornado warnings issued over the course of 12 hours:

The disaster spurred the most tornado warnings on record from noon to midnight for December. The event also ranks third for the most tornado warnings in winter, trailing major outbreaks in January 1999 and February

​Eight of the issued warnings on Dec. 10 were tornado emergencies. Another 145 were severe thunderstorm warnings in areas where storms were not tornadic but still intense.

30,000 feet = the altitude that debris hurled by the storm reached in the air:

​The strongest of the tornadoes caved in roofs, crumbled walls and pulled up trees. All that debris had to go somewhere and, by some estimates, may have traveled more than 30,000 feet, or more than five and a half miles, into the air.

It’s unclear whether that sets a record, but it’s among the most intense. Plumes of debris lofted into the air by tornadoes, called a debris signature, are picked up by radar and used by forecasters to confirm the existence of a tornado, which can be especially helpful at night or in rural areas where it might not have been spotted.

750,000: From Arkansas to New York, the total number of customers without power in the aftermath Saturday:

The tornadoes were part of a sprawling storm system that swept from the Rockies to the Great Lakes. In addition to the twisters, the system also generated damaging straight-line winds topping 60 mph in Michigan and New York. 

​PowerOutage.US, a website that collects information on outages nationally, reported more than 750,000 customers were without power across the country Saturday evening in the storm’s aftermath.

​In the zone affected by tornadoes, more than 100,000 homes and buildings were without power Saturday evening, with the majority of the outages concentrated in hard-hit areas of western Kentucky.

In Kentucky and Tennessee, at least 97 power towers and poles were also damaged, including at least 60 high-voltage transmission structures, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. This is the most debilitating hit on the power grid in the region since the “Super Outbreak” of 2011.

Hundreds of linemen and other utility workers worked to restore service on Sunday. But tens of thousands of Americans remained in the dark, and there was limited data on some of the most devastated communities in western Kentucky, suggesting the damage from the tornadoes could be much greater.

Work to assess how many homes and businesses have been completely destroyed, or are not safe to enter, is underway. At least 18 Kentucky counties have reported damage, Beshear said Monday.

500,000 gallons: The storage capacity of a water tower in Mayfield, Ky., destroyed by the tornado:

The tornado activity decimated the city of Mayfield, Ky., and outside of the candle factory collapse, the downtown area was heavily damaged. The historic clock tower crumbled, buildings along the main square became a pile of bricks, and a water tower collapsed.

​“It looked like a bomb dropped on our town,” Ryan Mitchum, who owns a landscaping business in the region and is a Mayfield native, told Washington The Post.

Reporting by Anna Phillips, Ian Livingston and Jacob Feuerstein. Editing by Dayana Sarkisova, Kasha Patel and Jason Samenow. Video editing by Allie Caren. Photo editing by Karly Domb Sadof and Olivier Laurent. Design by Garland Potts. Design editing by Madison Walls.
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Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021 (Wikipedia):

A deadly late-season tornado outbreak produced catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across portions of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley from the evening of December 10 to the early morning of December 11, 2021. The event developed as a trough progressed eastward across the United States, interacting with an unseasonably moist and unstable environment across the Mississippi Valley. Tornado activity began in northeastern Arkansas, before progressing into Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

​The most prolific activity was caused by a long-track supercell thunderstorm that produced a family of strong tornadoes, if not a single long-track tornado, across four Mid-Southern states.

The nocturnal tornado first touched down in northeastern Arkansas, near Jonesboro and tracked through the Missouri Bootheel, ripping through towns such as Monette and Leachville, Arkansas, and Hayti and Caruthersville, Missouri.

After crossing the Mississippi River into portions of West Tennessee, the storm eventually reached Western Kentucky, where the towns of Cayce, Mayfield, Benton, Dawson Springs, and Bremen suffered severe to catastrophic damage.

Preliminary estimates suggest the tornado family—identified by some media outlets as the "Quad-State tornado," due to the storm's similar characteristics to the Tri-State tornado that occurred 96 years prior—may have cut a path of up to 250 miles (400 km) across the affected areas. If confirmed to be a single tornado by storm surveys, it would surpass the March 18, 1925, tornado event (which carved a 219-mile [352 km] path across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana) in terms of path length. 

Other tornado thunderstorms affected portions of eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, western and middle Tennessee, and western and central Kentucky during the late evening into the overnight hours of December 11, including four intense tornadoes that hit Bowling Green, Kentucky; Dresden, Tennessee; Edwardsville, Illinois; and Defiance, Missouri. This included a second supercell and tornado family, which produced an EF3 tornado tracking over 110 miles (180 km) in Tennessee and southern Kentucky, as well as numerous tornadoes throughout southern and central Kentucky.

At least 88 people are confirmed to have been killed by the tornadoes, surpassing the Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado of December 5, 1953, which caused 38 fatalities, as the deadliest December tornado event ever recorded in the United States.

Unconfirmed estimates suggest that the tornado outbreak may have caused 100 deaths across five states, which would make it the deadliest tornado event in the United States since May 2011. In Kentucky, 74 people have been confirmed dead so far with an additional 109 missing, currently making the outbreak the second-deadliest tornado event in Kentucky history, behind the Louisville-area tornado of March 27, 1890, which caused 76 deaths

Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the December 10-11, 2021 Tornado Outbreak:







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