My COVID-19 Story

In being a good steward of my family history, it is only proper that I journal during this difficult time we find ourselves in. Since we are now a few months into this pandemic, It is probably best that I summarize some of the facts, globally as well as locally, that have transpired up until now.

• [2019-12-31] At the close of 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of a pneumonia of unknown cause, detected in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, China.
• [2020-01-01] Officials close the Huanan seafood market, suspected to be the source of the mystery disease, as some of the patients presenting with the pneumonia-like illness were dealers or vendors at the market.
• [2020-01-07] China identifies a new coronavirus as the cause of the outbreak. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause varying levels of disease, from common colds to severe fatal diseases. Usually found in animals, some can infect humans and transmit between humans. Both SARS and MERS are caused by a coronavirus.
• [2020-01-09] China reports first death linked to the new coronavirus, 2019-nCoV.
• [2020-01-13] Officials confirmed a case of the novel coronavirus in Thailand. The patient, a 61-year-old woman from Wuhan, did not report visiting the Huanan seafood market. It was not unexpected that cases of the novel coronavirus would emerge outside of China and reinforces why WHO calls for active monitoring and preparedness in other countries.
• [2020-01-19] A 35-year-old man presented to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Washington, with a 4-day history of cough and subjective fever. On checking into the clinic, the patient put on a mask in the waiting room. After waiting approximately 20 minutes, he was taken into an examination room and underwent evaluation by a provider. He disclosed that he had returned to Washington State on January 15 after traveling to visit family in Wuhan, China.
• [2020-01-24] Japan and U.S. each confirm second 2019-nCoV cases, while Nepal confirms the first case of 2019-nCoV in the country. Total confirmed cases in China rise to 830, with 177 in severe condition and 25 deaths.
• [2020-01-25] The 2019-nCoV reaches more countries. Australia confirms the first case of 2019-nCoV in the continent, with health authorities announcing three more cases later in the day. France confirms three cases, the first in Europe. Malaysia also reports the first four cases, Canada reports its first case.Several infected countries also confirm new cases, such as Thailand and Japan. In China meanwhile, Chinese government reports 688 new cases, bringing the total to 1,975. Cases with severe conditions rise to 324, and deaths to 56 in total.
• [2020-01-26] China reports 769 new confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, significantly raising the total number of cases globally to 2,801. This includes 461 severe cases and 80 deaths.
• [2020-01-30] The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
• [2020-01-31] The first two cases of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Italy were first confirmed when two Chinese tourists in Rome tested positive for the virus.
• [2020-02-01] The first 2019-nCoV death outside China is reported in the Philippines. The patient was a 44-year-old Chinese male. This brings the total global cases to 17,386, with 362 deaths.
• [2020-02-04] Hong Kong reports its first death of a patient with 2019-nCoV. The 39-year-old man had travel history from Wuhan, the outbreak’s epicenter. This is the second death linked to the 2019-nCoV reported outside mainland China, after the Philippines. The total number of deaths from 2019-nCoV stands at 492, and confirmed cases globally over 24,000.
• [2020-02-09] The death toll of victims of the 2019-nCoV is now over 800, surpassing the death toll of the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003, which killed 773 people.
• [2020-02-13] Overnight, China reports a spike in cases, with 14,840 cases in Hubei province. This is due to the fact that the Chinese government changed its reporting to include both laboratory-confirmed cases and clinically diagnosed cases. The third death from the virus outside of mainland China is confirmed in Japan. The previous deaths took place in Hong Kong and the Philippines.
• [2020-02-15] France reports the first death from COVID-19 outside of Asia — an 80-year-old tourist from Hubei province.
• [2020-02-16] An American woman who had been on a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia, tests positive for COVID-19 after flying to Malaysia. The ship originally set sail from Hong Kong on Feb.1, with 1,455 passengers and 802 members of its crew. Taiwan reports its first death from COVID-19, marking the fifth death from the virus outside of mainland China.
• [2020-02-17] China publishes a paper with detailed information on more than 44,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
• [2020-02-19] The death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 2,000. Iran reports first COVID-19 cases.
• [2020-02-20] Iran reports five cases of COVID-19 in two days, two of which have resulted in death. These are the first deaths from COVID-19 in the Middle East. Outside of China, there are 1,076 cases in 26 countries, with seven deaths.
• [2020-02-21] Two people tested positive in Veneto. The next day, one of them, a 78-year-old man, died at the Schiavonia Hospital in Monselice, making him the first fatality in Italy.
• [2020-02-23] Cases of COVID-19 in Italy continue to rise in what has become the largest outbreak outside of Asia.
• [2020-02-26] Brazil confirms its first case of COVID-19, marking the first case in South America. Cases of the virus have now been confirmed on every continent except Antarctica. For the first time since the outbreak began, there are more new cases reported outside China, 459, than in China, 412.
• [2020-02-27] The number of infections globally continues to grow. There are 3,474 cases of COVID-19 — including 54 deaths — outside of China in 44 countries.
• [2020-02-29] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health officials in the state of Washington have reported three hospitalized patients who have tested presumptive-positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, including one patient who died. This is the first reported death in the United States from COVID-19, as well as the first reported case in a health care worker and the first possible outbreak in a LTCF (long term care facility).
• [2020-03-01] South Korea, with 3,736 cases, and Italy, with 1,128 cases, have the most cases outside of China.
• [2020-03-02] Over the past 24 hours, there were nearly nine times more new cases reported outside China than within China.
• [2020-03-07]  The number of COVID-19 cases surpasses 100,000.
• [2020-03-08] Over 100 countries report cases of COVID-19.
• [2020-03-09] The first case of COVID-19 is confirmed in North Texas. The patient is a Frisco father in his 30s. He traveled to California at the end of February and returned to Collin County at the beginning of March. Officials said during the man's business trip in California, he came in contact with someone who had contracted the novel coronavirus. The patient's wife and their 3-year-old child also test positive for COVID-19.
• [2020-03-11] The WHO recognized it as a pandemic.
• [2020-03-12] Dallas County officials declare a local disaster in response to the COVID-19 pandemic after 13 people are infected in North Texas. As a part of the local disaster, Dallas County bans gatherings of more than 500 people. That order went into effect at 11 a.m. Friday, March 13.
• [2020-03-13] “Europe has now become the epicenter of the pandemic, with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu says during a press conference. “More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic.”
• [2020-03-14] Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweets that the county's first patient who tested positive for COVID-19, a 77-year-old man, was leaving the hospital in "great shape". Jenkins also said the man's wife also tested positive, but she was "never sick enough to need admission."
• [2020-03-15] The first coronavirus-related death in Texas is reported. A Matagorda County COVID-19 patient in his 90s died, according to county officials. Houses of worship across North Texas are closed for Sunday services. Several churches, however, streamed their service online.
• [2020-03-16] March 16, a total of 4,226 COVID-19 cases had been reported in the United States, with reports increasing to 500 or more cases per day beginning March 14. For the first time since the beginning of the outbreak, infections and deaths outside China surpass those within China. During a news conference, Trump says his administration "strongly recommends" that for the next 15 days Americans avoid groups bigger than 10, discretionary travel, eating at restaurants and bars and food courts and do schooling from home. A few hours later, the City of Dallas orders all bars, lounges, taverns, gyms and theaters to close at midnight. Additionally, the Dallas Independent School District and Richardson ISD announce they are closing indefinitely.
• [2020-03-17] The first COVID-19 related death was confirmed in D-FW after tests showed an elderly Arlington man who died Sunday had the novel coronavirus. Pat James, 77, had undergone testing for COVID-19 on Saturday, about a day before he died. 
• [2020-03-18] Globally, approximately 170,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) have been reported, including an estimated 7,000 deaths in approximately 150 countries.
• [2020-03-19] Cases of COVID-19 surpass 200,000 globally. It took over three months to reach the first 100,000 confirmed cases and just 12 days to reach the next 100,000. For the first time since the outbreak began, Wuhan reports no new cases. Texas Gov. Greg. Abbott issued an executive order telling all Texans to avoid social gatherings and groups of more than 10 people. The order is in effect midnight Friday and continues until midnight April 3. 
• [2020-03-22] Global cases of COVID-19 surpass 300,000. It took over three months to reach the first 100,000 confirmed cases, 12 days to reach 200,000 and three days to reach 300,000. Texas Governor Abbott directed health care professionals to postpone surgeries that are not "medically necessary", as well as suspend regulations to allow hospitals to have more than one patient in a room. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins issues a "shelter-in-place" order at a news conference. The order goes in effect at 11:59 p.m. on March 23 and will stay in place until at least 11:59 p.m. on April 3. Jenkins said April 3 is when his current authority expires hence the deadline, but he expects that authority to be extended.
• [2020-03-24] Collin, Denton, and Tarrant counties join Dallas County in issuing some variation of a "stay at home" order to limit gatherings and nonessential travel. The efforts are all in order to help flatten the curve of the spread of the virus so that sick patients do not overwhelm the area's healthcare system.
• [2020-03-25] President Trump declares that a major disaster exists in Texas and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts for COVID-19, according to a press release from the White House.
• [2020-03-28] Cases of COVID-19 worldwide surpass 600,000. Spain and Italy hit new records for the number of dead in one day. Spain records 832 dead and Italy records 889.
• [2020-03-29] Global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 30,000.
• [2020-03-31] Gov. Abbott issues an executive order that only allows Texans to leave their homes for essential activities. The order will last through April 30. Abbott also said schools in Texas will remain closed through at least Monday, May 4, but added that date could be extended. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announces hospitals in the city are now required to report capacity numbers daily to officials. He believes residents still don’t understand what’s going on and how serious COVID-19 is within the community.
• [2020-04-01] The number of deaths from COVID-19 globally has more than doubled in the past week. 44 college students from the University of Texas at Austin tested positive for coronavirus. They are part of a group of 70 college students who disregarded messages to avoid large gatherings, and chartered a flight for spring break in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Some of the students took commercial flights back home to the US, causing health and other officials to have to try to track down who else may have been infected, via contact tracing.
• [2020-04-02] Cases of COVID-19 surpass 1 million.
• [2020-04-03] The total number of cases in Italy increased steadily, reaching approximately 120 thousand. The United States, with the highest number of cases in the world, now has more than double the number of Italy, which has the second-highest number of cases in the world. Sixty residents and nine staff members at a San Antonio nursing home have been infected with COVID-19. One person has died. Nationally there have been 450 nursing home deaths.
• [2020-04-05] More than 1.26 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over 200 countries and territories, resulting in approximately 68,400 deaths. More than 258,000 people have recovered. Schools and universities have closed either on a nationwide or local basis in more than 160 countries, affecting approximately 97 percent of the world's student population. Dallas County health officials reported 97 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 1,112, including 18 deaths.

I know this is a lot of information, but I felt it was good to see how localized the virus was at first and how it has snowballed, picking up speed until now. Officials are predicting the cased will not even peak in the U.S for at least a couple more weeks. I also wanted to document a few of the events that have happened locally (state-wide and within Dallas County) that have affected us personally. 

On a personal note, since the industry I work in is tied closely with the convention industry and all gatherings of more than 10 people have been banned, I have not worked since March 16. I was subsequently furloughed as of March 30 and have filed for unemployment. I can request my first payment the week of April 13.

Due to its length, I will cut this post off here. It is my goal to continue with updates from my perspective going forward. Currently, other than a good friend who is my daughter’s age (they grew up together) that has been diagnosed with double pneumonia and has a COVID-19 test pending, I do not personally know anyone that has possibly been affected by the virus itself. More updates as they become available.