It's been 3 months since the first coronavirus case was reported. These photos show the 10 moments that defined the crisis.
Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang, who was silenced by local authorities for sounding an early alarm on the coronavirus, symbolized the beginning of the crisis.
As cases began to rise in Wuhan and other cities across China, some Lunar New Year celebrations were canceled, leaving once-colourful streets looking eerily empty.
Drastic before-and-after images of empty streets during the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar offered a glimpse into how other countries would have to respond to the outbreak.
Thousands of major events and public gatherings around the world, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Glastonbury Festival, have been either postponed or canceled because of the outbreak.
Source: Business Insider
As cases continued to surge, Wuhan authorities hastily built a 1,000-bed emergency coronavirus hospital in just 10 days.
Chinese state media livestreamed the construction of Huoshenshan Hospital, which began on January 23 and was completed on February 2.
Chinese authorities built a second makeshift hospital, Leishenshan Hospital, just 25 miles away to treat more COVID-19 patients.
The temporary hospitals closed in mid-March as fewer infections and deaths were recorded. Chinese medical workers were filmed taking off their masks and smiling after the closure.
In early February, all eyes were on the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship with known coronavirus cases quarantined off a Japanese coast. Its handling of the quarantine was hugely criticized as some infected passengers were allowed to fly home.
The ship, which docked in Yokohama, Japan, ended up recording close to 700 infections and seven deaths from the coronavirus.
Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato apologized after reports of infected passengers being cleared to return home.
"We deeply apologize for the situation caused by our oversight. We will take all necessary measures, like double checks, to prevent a recurrence," he said.
Source: Business Insider
By early March, northern Italy was emerging as a new epicenter of the disease. Shocking images of patients with respiratory helmets inside a makeshift ICU in Bergamo region showed how serious the crisis was getting.
In a defining moment, Italy issued lockdown orders on its 60 million-strong population on March 9.
At time of writing, the country has seen more than 17,000 deaths — the highest number in the world.
But there have been minor improvements, as Italy recorded its lowest death toll in more than a week in early April, according to the Guardian.
The World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic on March 11.
Another defining image of the coronavirus is that of empty supermarket shelves. As news of the virus spread around the world, people started panic-buying and stockpiling goods.
One item that ran out the quickest was toilet paper. People from the US to Australia to Hong Kong were stockpiling and panic-buying reams of it.
People had a seemingly insatiable desire to stockpile the item, even though manufacturers said there was no shortage.
Business Insider's Mia Jankowicz reported on the global shortage and experts' criticism of it.
Another poignant image of the pandemic is of people singing and dancing on their balconies as millions of people got accustomed to being locked down for the first time.
As of April 9, more than a third of the world's population is on some sort of lockdown. Here is a rolling list of all the countries.
New York City has come out as one of the worst-affected cities in the world. To treat a wave of COVID-19 patients, the Javits Center was converted into a 1,000-bed makeshift hospital.
The center's main showroom — typically used for exhibitions — was broken up into four 250-bed hospitals, each about 40,000 square feet in size.
Hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency workers have been assigned to work there.
The city is currently the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, health workers around the world continue to risk their lives on the front lines of the crisis. Many face shortages of critical medical equipment, resulting in some nurses having to wear garbage bags to protect themselves from infection.
Doctors and nurses have posted pictures of themselves with severe bruising on their faces as a result of wearing masks for hours on end.
No one has been immune to the coronavirus. Celebrities, politicians, and other public figures have contracted COVID-19, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who remains in intensive care.
At time of writing, Johnson remains in intensive care.
Dozens of top politicians in Iran have also contracted or even died of the coronavirus.
Celebrities including Tom Hanks and Idris Elba have tested positive for COVID-19.
Prominent figures like playwright Terrence McNally, actor Mark Blum, and actress Lucia Bosè are believed to have died from illnesses related to the virus.
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