The COVID-19 History Project

This really happened.

This Day in COVID: August 2, 2020

It's time to start handing out fines to people who refuse to wear masks

It seems no amount of education will sway certain conservatives to wear a mask and protect their neighbors. It's time to think of fining them.

Business Insider

Birx warns US is ‘in a new phase’ of coronavirus pandemic with more widespread cases

CNN

A coronavirus vaccine won’t change the world right away

Washington Post

Cyprus introduces COVID-19 testing on Greek arrivals amid spike

Reuters

Pelosi says she has no confidence in White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Birx

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday attacked White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx — accusing the physician of helping spread misinformation about the pandemic. “I …

NY Post

Some parents want to hire tutors, start mini schools this year. Most can't afford to.

USA Today

Pandemic ushers in 'new normal' for historically underfunded HBCUs

'We are scared to death. It is not safe. The cases are rising. I am worried sick. I have not had a good night's sleep since March,' Benedict College's president said.

NBC

Australian state declares coronavirus state of disaster; South Africa tops 500,000 cases

The number of COVID-19 cases is approaching 18 million worldwide.

NBC

Vietnam PM says early August 'decisive time' to avert large-scale virus spread

Reuters

U.S. coronavirus 'extraordinarily widespread', say White House experts

Reuters

Students arrive for mandated COVID-19 quarantine

University of Rochester students from New York’s restricted travel states arrived August 1 to begin a 14-day quarantine to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Rochester University

German leaders warn of coronavirus resurgence, condemn protest

Rising number of reported cases causes concern.

Politico

Boris Johnson orders new shielding plan to avoid second national coronavirus lockdown this winter

Politics Home

Coronavirus lockdown caused sharp increase of insomnia in UK

Rise in worry-related sleep was particularly pronounced among mothers, research finds

The Guardian

Lockdown worked for the rich, but not for the poor. The untold story of how COVID-19 spread across Toronto, in 7 graphics

Toronto Public Health data contains revelations about how the virus slipped into the city and gained a foothold before taking aim at the most vulnerable residents and neighbourhoods.

The Toronto Star

Calgary doctor says 'dramatic' 40% drop in preterm births during lockdown could be global trend

Doctors in countries including Denmark, Ireland, Australia, the U.S. and Canada have been reporting that fewer preterm babies are being born.

CBC

Q&A: Michael Levitt on why there shouldn’t be a lockdown, how he’s been tracking coronavirus

Michael Levitt is a Nobel prize-winning structural biology professor at Stanford who has been tracking the coronavirus consistently for the past six months.

The Standford Daily

These Scientists Are Sewer-Diving in an Attempt to Detect Silent COVID-19 Outbreaks

Dutch scientists showed in March wastewater surveillance can identify evidence of the pathogen earlier than testing patients

Time

Some hospitals are tracking Covid-19 by adding sensors to employees’ badges

Hospitals have used SwipeSense technology to monitor hygiene and track assets, like wheelchairs. Now, some use it for contact-tracing to slow the spread of Covid-19.

CNBC

Our Mission

The COVID-19 History Project is a curated archive of the events and policy decisions surrounding the emergence of COVID-19.

The pandemic era of 2020-2022 saw massive increases in restrictions on daily life—enforced by the government and by social stigma—accompanied social protests that roiled cities worldwide

In the United States alone, trillions of dollars were spent by the federal government to offset the forced closure of businesses and the devastation of normal life.

The impacts of these policy decisions are still being felt today.

Some would like us to forget the actions and people that played a significant role during the pandemic.

But we of the COVID-19 History Project don't want to forget. Through our work, we hope there will always be an archive to learn from and interpret this fascinating, disturbing, time in world history.

The Timeline

In order to learn from the mistakes of the past, and give COVID-19 decision makers the credit—both good and bad—they deserve, we have compiled a media timeline from every day of the pandemic.

We have endeavored to make the timeline comprehensive without being duplicative, following the major trends as they unfolded.

We provided analyses for each month highlighting major events, but encourage readers to make their own conclusions about these events as well.

This Day in COVID: August 2, 2021

Details

Rep. Barr: COVID-19 Likely Leaked from Wuhan Virology Lab, Time to Ban Gain-of-Function Research

Congressman Andy Barr (.gov)

Sam Kendricks, U.S. Pole-Vaulter, Tested Positive for Covid and is Out of the Tokyo Games

The New York Times

EXPLAINER: Are Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates for Employees Legal?

U.S. News & World Report

Two travelers submitted fake vaccination cards before flying to Toronto. Each was fined nearly $16,000.

The Washington Post

Thinking impaired in COVID-19 survivors, study finds - UT Health San Antonio

In a sample of more than 400 older adults in Argentina who had recovered from COVID-19, more than 60% displayed some degree of cognitive impairment.

UT Health San Antonio

New Data on COVID-19 Transmission by Vaccinated Individuals | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

While new data show that vaccinated people can carry high viral loads of SARS-CoV-2, vaccines still prevent the worst outcomes from COVID-19.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Coronavirus: Was US money used to fund risky research in China?

What's the row about virus research in China between a prominent Republican and Dr Anthony Fauci?

BBC

Coronavirus: Former pilot cultivates new online plant business

BA pilot Nathan Raab switched to selling plants after being made redundant during the pandemic.

BBC

Delta variant: Which Asian countries are seeing rising cases?

Some Asian countries are now seeing rising coronavirus infections - is that down to the Delta variant?

BBC

COVID-19: Nigeria record 407 new cases of Coronavirus, Lagos carry top number of infection - BBC News Pidgin

According to informate wey Nigeria Center for Disease Control release Lagos get di highest number of infection wit one hundred and sixty.

BBC

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic - Nature Human Behaviour

This Registered Report presents evidence from 87 countries and regions showing that brief emotion-regulation interventions consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nature

U.S. reaches 70% Covid vaccine milestone for adults about a month behind Biden's goal

While the vaccine milestone is a significant achievement, it should be seen as a floor, rather than a ceiling, health experts say.

CNBC

Bay Area counties reinstate mask mandate, joining other cities and states as Covid-19 cases surge | CNN

CNN

Black women face a persistent pay gap, including in essential occupations during the pandemic

This year, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day arrives 10 days earlier than in 2020 (August 13). If this seems inconsistent with current realities, it is. That’s because the August 3, 2021, date is based on the comparison of median annual earnings for full-time, year-round workers reported in the 2020 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of…

Economic Policy Institute

Lindsey Graham Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Getting Vaccination

The GOP senator, who got the Pfizer vaccine, reported “mild” symptoms and said his infection would be "far worse" if he was unvaccinated.

Forbes

Wild U.S. deer found with coronavirus antibodies

A new study detected coronavirus antibodies in 40 percent of deer tested this year. Here’s why that matters.

National Geographic

Text-message nudges encourage COVID vaccination

Prompting people to get their vaccinations against COVID-19.

Nature

Flawed ivermectin preprint highlights challenges of COVID drug studies

The study’s withdrawal from a preprint platform deals a blow to the anti-parasite drug’s chances as a COVID treatment, researchers say.

Nature

The COVID vaccine makers tell all

A book from the Oxford–AstraZeneca team, and a documentary, go behind the scenes in the race to vaccinate the world.

Nature

A simple text has the power to increase COVID vaccinations

People who received a short ‘nudge’ by mobile phone were more likely to get a jab than were those who did not.

Nature

The coronavirus is rife in common US deer

Survey results show that many white-tailed deer, a familiar sight on US lawns and golf courses, have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

Nature

The neutralizing antibody response post COVID-19 vaccination in patients with myeloma is highly dependent on the type of anti-myeloma treatment - Blood Cancer Journal

Nature

Time of day influences immune response to an inactivated vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 - Cell Research

Nature

The U.S. is wasting vaccine doses, even as cases rise and other countries suffer shortages. (Published 2021)

The New York Times

The Corporate Vaccine Gap (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Two Yankees Pitchers Test Positive for Coronavirus (Published 2021)

The New York Times

‘Wicked’ Hits the Road, Carrying the Hopes of Broadway Tours (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Where a Vast Global Vaccination Program Went Wrong (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Comparing COVID-19 risk factors in Brazil using machine learning: the importance of socioeconomic, demographic and structural factors - Scientific Reports

Nature

Critics Fear Amtrak Is Using Pandemic to Cut Service That Won’t Return (Published 2020)

The New York Times

A third of white-tailed deer tested in a survey were exposed to the coronavirus. (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Delta infections among vaccinated likely contagious, Lambda variant shows vaccine resistance in lab

Reuters

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Reuters

The incremental value of computed tomography of COVID-19 pneumonia in predicting ICU admission - Scientific Reports

Nature

Interpreting time-series COVID data: reasoning biases, risk perception, and support for public health measures - Scientific Reports

Nature

Once Common, COVID-19 Deaths in Long-Term Care Were Rare across Most States in June | KFF

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, residents and staff at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities accounted for a huge share of COVID deaths, but a new KFF analysis finds that they were relatively rare events across the country in June. The analysis finds that 13 states and the District of Columbia in June reported…More

KFF

COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Long-Term Care Facilities through June 2021 | KFF

This data note examines state-level data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in long-term care facilities through June prior to the recent rise in cases and deaths nationally linked to the spread of the Delta variant. It finds long-term care deaths down 96% from their peak in December as the nation's vaccination effort began.

KFF