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Dec 7, 2020 - Health

In photos: How the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in 2020

Rebecca Falconer
President Donald Trump removes his mask upon return to the White House from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 05, 2020 in Washington, DC.

President Trump removes his mask upon return to the White House from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 5 after spending three days hospitalized for COVID-19. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of people in 191 countries and regions since spreading from China in January — killing more than 1.5 million people, infecting more than 66.3 million and disrupting many more lives.

The big picture: Companies and schools around the world have shifted to online work and classes. Many governments have responded with restrictions including lockdowns, social distancing measures and mask mandates.

January
A man wears a mask while walking in the street on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.
A man wears a face covering on Jan. 22 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, where the virus was first detected last December. Masks would become a symbol of the 2020 pandemic, with the CDC urging on Dec. 4 for their universal use amid high-level transmission in the U.S. Photo: Getty Images
People with protective face masks pass in front of a thermal scanner as they enter a shopping mall in Bangkok on January 29
A thermal scanner captures shoppers entering a mall in Bangkok on Jan. 29. Thailand reported on Jan. 13 the first case of the virus outside China. The country has since imposed strict measures to keep COVID-19 numbers to below 4,000. Photo: Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images
Personnel in biological hazard suits await passengers evacuated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the heart of a growing outbreak of the deadly 2019 Novel Coronavirus
Personnel in biological hazard suits at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif., await passengers repatriated from Wuhan on Jan. 29. Nearly 200 Americans were on the flight. The U.S. launched further evacuations from the city in February. Photo: Matt Hartman/AFP via Getty Images
February
A woman wearing a face mask walks before a screen displaying preventative measures against the novel coronavirus, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul.
A plaza in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 11, as the global virus death toll crosses 1,000 and the World Health Organization announces the official name for the disease that causes the novel coronavirus: COVID-19. In February South Korea had the most cases outside mainland China. It later curbed the spread, though there's been an uptick at the year's end. Photo: Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
A memorial for Dr Li Wenliang, who was the whistleblower of the Coronavirus
A memorial outside the UCLA campus in Westwood, Calif., on Feb. 15 for Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital who sounded the alarm on the coronavirus, for which Chinese authorities attempted to silence him. Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images
Passengers are seen on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku Pier on February 21, 2020 in Yokohama, Japan.
The Diamond Princess, quarantined off Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 21. COVID-19 infected 714 people aboard this ship, killing 13. Cruise ships were the sites of some of the most severe cases as the virus began to spread — prompting the CDC to issue a no-sail order, which was replaced with a less restrictive "conditional sailing order" in October. Photo: Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images
March
People waiting to meet travelers arriving at O'Hare Airport watch as U.S. President Trump hold a news conference about the coronavirus pandemic on March 13, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois.
COVID-19 shook the world in March. Here, people at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport watch Trump hold a March 13 news conference declaring a national emergency over U.S. cases that Trump said on Feb. 27 would "within a couple of days ... be down to close to zero." He said throughout the year he believed the virus would "disappear." Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
A worker carries out sanitation operations for the Coronavirus emergency in Piazza dei Miracoli near to the Tower of Pisa in a deserted town on March 17, 2020 in Pisa, Italy.
Sanitization in Pisa, Italy, on March 17 — eight days after a national lockdown was imposed, as the country becomes a coronavirus epicenter. Italy contained the first outbreak. But, like elsewhere in Europe, cases have surged at the end of 2020 and the government imposed more restrictions. Photo: Laura Lezza/Getty Images
Chuck Sedlacek, a patient at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, is visited by his children in March during a major outbreak at the facility
Life Care Center of Kirkland, Wash., patient Chuck Sedlacek, visited by family on March 18. He was admitted Feb. 20 for a broken ankle and later tested positive for the virus during a major outbreak at the facility. Elderly care facilities have been particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Photo: Karen Ducey/Getty Images
April
A lower school substitute teacher works from her home due to the Coronavirus outbreak on April 1
A school teacher works from home in Arlington, Va., on April 1. School districts have since reported declining grades, as some students struggle to adjust to the challenges of remote education. Online classes have left students of color and low-income students at greater disadvantages. Photo: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
A mobile shower station with soap and shampoo in New York City.
A mobile shower station in New York City, a partnership between Coalition for the Homeless and Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF — which also dispatched teams to Florida, New Mexico, the Navajo Nation and Puerto Rico. MSF told Axios in a statement that it was operational in the U.S. from April to October. Photo: Michelle Mays/MSF
Protestors try to enter the Michigan House of Representative chamber and are being kept out by the Michigan State Police
Protesters, many armed, try to enter the Michigan House of Representatives April 30 following a rally against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's coronavirus restrictions. In October, the FBI charged several suspects over plots to kidnap Whitmer and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and overthrow the state governments over their lockdown orders. Photo: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
May
People are seen practising social distancing in white circles in Domino Park, during the Covid-19 pandemic on May 17, 2020 the in Brooklyn borough of New York City.
People following social distancing in Domino Park, New York City, on May 17. A study published the following month finds the U.S. would have seen 4.8 million more confirmed coronavirus cases without physical distancing. Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
Graffiti depicting a world under lockdown, during an Indian lockdown against COVID-19, on the outskirts of Hyderabad on May 29
A mural in Hyderabad, India, depicting a locked down world on May 29, the day before Indian officials announce a phased reopening following some two months of lockdown, despite climbing cases. Lockdowns are reimposed on cities and regions in July and November. India has reported the most cases outside the U.S. — over 9.6 million. Photo: Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images
People protesting the death of George Floyd hold up placards in a street near the White House on May 31, 2020 in Washington, DC.
People protesting the death of George Floyd near the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 31. There were concerns the massive rallies could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The fact most protesters took precautions including wearing masks has been cited as one reason why this did not happen. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
June
A waiter wearing a protective face mask serves at the terrace of 'Cafe de Flore' in the Latin Quarter district as bars and restaurants reopen
A cafe in Paris on June 2, as the country enters the second phase of easing restrictions that began in May, with cafes and restaurants resuming trade. Fresh spikes saw the country lock down again in October before phasing out restrictions at the year's end. Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images
A City of Tshwane Health official testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus at the Bloed Street Mall in Pretoria Central Business District, on June 11
Testing in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 11, as infection numbers exceed 200,000 in Africa. The country has reported the most cases on the continent — over 810,000. Africa has fared "surprisingly well" in terms of coronavirus cases and deaths, but it exacerbated a continent-wide economic crisis, Axios' Felix Salmon reports. Photo: Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images
A picture taken June 23, 2020 shows a few worshippers performing al-Fajr prayer at the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca.
Worshipers hold an al-Fajr prayer at the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on June 23, a day after Saudi officials announced they'd only limit the number of people allowed to perform the hajj in the summer. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images
July
President Donald Trumpduring a roundtable discussion on the Safe Reopening of Americas Schools during the coronavirus pandemic, in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington, DC.
President Trump at a July 7 White House discussion on reopening schools, as he sends formal notice of the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO. His presidential election rival, now President-elect Joe Biden, tweets in response he'll rejoin the WHO on his "first day as President." Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (C) walks towards supporters in the garden of the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, on July 22
Jair Bolsonaro at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on July 22 after tweeting that he tested negative for the coronavirus following three positive results. Bolsonaro has been criticized for downplaying the virus and opposing lockdowns. The country is second only to the U.S. in reporting deaths from COVID-19 and has the world's third-highest case count. Photo: Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a last roundtable discussion following a four days European summit at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium on July 21
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels on July 21, as EU leaders agree to a €750 billion ($857 billion) post-pandemic economic recovery package. Photo: Stephanie Lecocq/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
August
People commute early morning in Tokyo on August 17
Commuters in Tokyo on Aug. 17, as Japan reports its economy shrank a record 7.8% in the April-June quarter. The country has also incurred multi-billion-dollar costs after postponing the Tokyo Olympics to 2021. The International Monetary Fund has said the pandemic will cause the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
A sign warning people about Covid-19 is surrounded by flames during the Hennessey fire near Lake Berryessa in Napa, California on August 18
Flames surround a COVID-19 sign during the Hennessey Fire in Napa, Calif., Aug. 18. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declares a public health emergency at the end of the month, as wildfires bring another crisis to a state then reporting the most infections in the U.S. Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
Protesters gather at the Victory Column in the city center to hear speeches during a protest against coronavirus-related restrictions and government policy on August 29, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
Conspiracy enthusiasts, right-wing extremists, religious conservatives and others rally in Berlin, against coronavirus restrictions on Aug. 29. Varying sizes of anti-lockdown protests have taken place in cities across the world in 2020. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
September
A teacher and a student bumping elbows before entering to class during the first day of school on September 10, 2020 in Granada, Spain.
A teacher and a student bumping elbows before entering to class during the first day of school in Granada, Spain, Sept. 10. Elbow bumps have replaced handshakes for many people greeting each other during the pandemic. Photo: Álex Cámara/NurPhoto via Getty Images
People stand on line, spaced six apart due to COVID-19, in order to vote early at the Fairfax Government Center on September 18, 2020 in Fairfax, Virginia.
People line up to vote early in the 2020 election at the Fairfax County Government Center in Virginia, on Sept. 18. More than 100 million Americans have voted early in the election, driven by the pandemic and its resultant social-distancing measures. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Judge Amy Coney Barrett (R) speaks after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that she will be his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden at the White House September 26
Trump with now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett (R) after announcing her as his Supreme Court nominee in the Rose Garden at the White House Sept. 26. This became known as a "superspreader event" as several attendees tested positive for COVID-19. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
October
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds a press conference after meeting with members of her party on October 18, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds a press conference in Auckland Oct. 18 following her Labour Party's landslide election win — seen as a vote of confidence in her science-led handling of the pandemic, which has won praise from the WHO. Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
People walk past a mural of Dr. Anthony Fauci by the artist SacSix on October 20, 2020 in the East Village of New York City.
The pandemic has seen NIAID director Anthony Fauci recognized with tributes like this New York City mural, pictured Oct. 20, and Brad Pitt playing him on "Saturday Night Live." Trump features him in an October campaign ad, Fauci says without his permission and out of context. The president escalates attacks on Fauci during this month, as cases surge. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Participants from Thailand pose in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as they take part in the annual gay pride parade in Taipei on October 26
A gay pride parade in Taipei on Oct. 26. Three days later, Taiwan marks a world record 200 days with no community COVID-19 cases, driven by factors including tough travel regulations, a digital quarantine system and rigorous contact tracing. Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images
November
From left, combination images of Joe Biden holding a drive-in campaign rally at Heinz Field in Pittsburg and President Trump at a packed rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan
The different approaches to the pandemic are evident in these election eve rally images of Joe Biden (L) at a drive-in event in Pittsburgh and Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump in Grand Rapids, Mich. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images
This picture taken on November 17, 2020 shows a syringe and a bottle reading "Vaccine Covid-19".
November offers hope of an end to the pandemic, with Pfizer and BioNTech announcing Nov. 9 their vaccine is safe and 90% effective. Moderna confirms on Nov. 16 that its candidate is 94.5% effective and Oxford-AstraZeneca say on Nov. 23 their vaccine is up to 90% effective. Photo: Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images
Healthcare workers at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
Health care workers at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. The state became on Nov. 11 the first in the U.S. to surpass 1 million cases. California and Florida have since surpassed the milestone. Photo: Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images
December
Volunteers plot geotagged flags on December 1, 2020, at the "IN AMERICA How Could This Happen...," an outdoor public art installation in Washington, DC., on the U.S. COVID death toll.
Geotagged flags on Dec. 1 at the "In America How Could This Happen..." public art installation in Washington, D.C. The memorial, led by artist Suzanne Firstenberg, honors lives lost to COVID-19 in the U.S., which has the world's highest virus death and cases toll. Over 280,000 people have died and some 14.5 million have been infected. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
A woman wearing a mask walks past The Salvation Army's Giant Red Kettle in Times Square on December 02, 2020 in New York City.
The Salvation Army's Giant Red Kettle in New York City's Times Square on Dec. 2. "With COVID-19 inhibiting volunteers from the Salvation Army to personally gather donations from the street, the charity has devised a way to garner both financial contributions and passerby's attention through the installation," the charity says in a statement. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual press conference inside 10 Downing Street in central London on December 2
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a Dec. 2 press conference in London, hours after the U.K. becomes the first Western nation to give emergency approval to a COVID-19 vaccine — Pfizer-BioNTech's one. Russia and China have already cleared vaccines, but scientists have cast doubts on their safety and efficacy. Photo: John Sibley/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
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