After the trip to Hot Springs, I started to hear more and more about a virus that had started in China that was being referred to as the coronavirus, also know as COVID-19.

On January 31, 2020, The Washington Post reported that The Trump administration escalated its response to the fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic by announcing quarantines and major travel restrictions that officials said were meant to limit contagion.  The Washington Post also reported that The White House declared a “public health emergency” and — beginning on Sunday (February 2nd) at 5 p.m. — will bar non-U.S. citizens who recently visited China from entering the United States, subject to a few exemptions. Shortly after the White House announced the new restrictions and said there were six confirmed U.S. cases, a seventh case was confirmed in Santa Clara County, Calif. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar also said the Trump administration would quarantine any Americans who had visited China’s Hubei province, where the disease originated, within the past 14 days. The government will also require screening and self-quarantines for all other Americans who recently visited any other parts of China. Officials said the self-quarantine rules would require individuals to stay in their homes for a certain length of time, monitor themselves for certain symptoms such as coughing, and check their temperatures and report them to local health officials.

After hearing about the travel ban, I started doing a little research on the coronavirus. I got online and read numerous articles that were coming out as the facts of the virus unfolded.  One of the first articles that I read came from WebMD.  In that article published by WebMD, it states that the first coronavirus was discovered in 1965 and it caused a common cold. Later that decade, researchers found a group of similar human and animal viruses and named them after their crown-like appearance. The article also states that scientists have divided coronaviruses into four sub-groupings, called alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Seven of these viruses can infect people:

• 229E (alpha)
• NL63 (alpha)
• OC43 (beta)
• HKU1 (beta
• MERS-CoV, a beta virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)
• SARS-CoV, a beta virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
• SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19

Where Did COVID-19 Come From That Caused The Pandemic in 2020?

The above question is probably the most asked question of 2020.  Where did COVID-19 Come From?  From the research I have read online, no one knows for sure where COVID-19 started.  According to an unpublicized report from the Chinese government, the first case can be traced back to November 17, 2019.  That person was a 55-year old citizen in the Hubei province. There were four men and five women reported to be infected in November. According to the World Health Organization, China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province on December 31, 2019.  As I type this blog, many researchers and investigators around the world are trying to figure this out.  I honestly don’t know if we will ever really know where COVID-19 started. Everyone has their theories and I have mine as well, but factual evidence is what we need.

First Report Of COVID-19 In United States?

According to Wikipedia, on January 7, 2020, Ohio claims to have had the first COVID-19 patient.

When Was COVID-19 Pandemic Declared?

On March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

On March 13, 2020, a national emergency was declared in the United States concerning the COVID-19 Outbreak.

After the national emergency was declared, the weeks to follow would involve stay at home orders across the country. Businesses, schools, universities, gyms, hair salons, restaurants, etc. were all closed. And just like that, our country took a timeout, along with the rest of the world.  I’ve been alive 57 years and I’ve never experienced anything like this in my lifetime.

Next up, an unexpected surgery and that damn virus!!!