December 2019. In December 2019, the first case of the novel human coronavirus disease 2019, or 2019-nCoV, which become known colloquially Covid or Covid-19, was reported in Wuhan, China. On December 31, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission announced that a cluster of 27 pneumonia cases of unknown origin had been traced back to Wuhan's Seafood Wholesale Market, or wet market. Cases would double over the next two weeks. Antarctica became the last of the seven continents with diagnosed cases of Covid. 

January 2020. The first case not found in mainland China was diagnosed on 8 January 2020, in a 31-year-old man in Thailand, who had recently travelled to Wuhan. The first reported Covid death came just a few days later; the deceased was a 61-year-old Chinese man, who died on 11 January. The virus spread rapidly, due in no small part to its contagious nature and a lack of understanding of its modes of transmission. In the United States, a woman who had traveled home to Washington State after visiting Wuhan became the first confirmed American case; her sample was taken on 18 January and test results confirmed her as Covid-positive on 21 January.

The virus spread rapidly worldwide; Wuhan’s complete lockdown began in 23 January, too late to confine the virus within the city or even country borders. France reported the first European case on 24 January, with Germany confirming cases within their borders on 28 January. Up to this point, all known cases of Covid-19 could be traced directly to travel to Wuhan. Community transmission—appearance of the virus in patients who were not able to determine to whom they were exposed—was first detected in the U.S. in February 2020. On February 26, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, CDC’s Incident Manager for the Covid-19 response, warned, “Disruption to everyday life may be severe.”

March 2020. Transmission accelerated over the next weeks and months; New York City was particularly hard-hit. On 11 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. It had reached all 50 states and Washington, D.C., by that time; two days later, on 13 March, Donald Trump declared a national emergency. Locally, colleges in the CSCU system closed down due to the pandemic beginning on this date. Touted by government officials as what was to be a two-week period, it would be many months before they would reopen for the most basic on-ground services. New vocabulary entered our daily lives: virtual learning, social distancing, contact tracing, isolation, quarantine, flattening the curve, essential worker, and many more. Travel bans were enacted between countries. Those travelling between states often were required to quarantine upon return. A policy known as Title 42 allowed the administration to detain immigrants at American borders for health reasons.

Summer 2020. Unemployment rate rose dramatically in the first months of Covid, but had started to recover. Some sectors of the workforce, such as restaurants and travel, would continue to suffer heavy losses. In September, Covid deaths worldwide reached 1 million. Moderna Therapeutics began the first human Covid vaccine trial in March 2020, although Pfizer would obtain the first emergency authorization for its vaccine on 11 December 2020. Other vaccines would follow, made by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

December 2020. Just shy of 365 days after the world had learned of the first cases of Covid-19, essential healthcare workers began to receive the first vaccines; Nurse Sandra Lindsay of New York was the first American to get the vaccine outside of clinical trials. However, cases continued to spike throughout the winter months, just as they would the following winter.

2021. Two variants, or mutations, of the virus were prevalent in 2021: Delta and Omicron. Though other mutations were detected, these two were particularly virulent, each becoming the dominant strain of Covid during its heyday. States and municipalities ended and restarted policies regarding the wearing of masks, required vaccinations, and social distancing. Violence in public places frequently arose as the result of disputes over mask wearing, with fines and bans being issued to unruly airline passengers. Public schools reopened, largely beginning in the 2021-22 school year. Vaccines were approved for children aged over the age of 12. Weekly testing became the norm for many persons, especially those who were still unvaccinated.

2022 and beyond. Vaccines were approved for children aged 5 to 11. Mask policies became optional for many, though federal agencies continued to require them. However, outbreaks continued to occur, with Hong Kong experiencing its worst outbreak of the virus so far in March 2022. Though the true number of Covid deaths may never be known, in February the United States’ Covid fatalities reached 1 million. Deaths worldwide reached the grim milestone of 6 million in early March, although some experts estimate that the actual number could be double or even quadruple that number. As of this writing, the novel human coronavirus disease 2019 is still considered a pandemic, though it is anticipated that with vaccinations and better treatments, it will someday move to an endemic phrase; it will still take lives, but at what medical professionals and scholars will consider an acceptable rate, just as we view influenza and the common cold.

2023

At the end of January, President Biden took action to declare an end to the COVID national emergency, to take effect on May 11. The head of WHO expected that his organization would do the same, as cases of and deaths from COVID had been on a steady decline.

Sources
Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Food and Drug Administration.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
John Hopkins University.
New York Times
PBS News Hour
Wall Street Journal
World Health Organization (WHO).

In 2020, libraries of all types stepped up to meet the needs of their communities as they responded to the impacts of COVID-19, a national financial crisis, and social unrest. They were at the center of some of our nation’s most consequential work, including supporting accurate counts in the US Census, fighting political disinformation, and facilitating free and fair elections.

Libraries also extended necessary lifelines to community members facing job losses, healthcare crises, and remote work and learning during an unprecedented and uncertain time. As we assess the state of America’s libraries, we find 2020 was a year when library professionals answered the call to serve amid multiple emergencies and a year when library workers again proved to be essential “first restorers” or “second responders.”

Read more about libraries' response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2020 in the State of America's Libraries 2021 Special Report: COVID-19.

https://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2021. Accessed 17 March 2022.