The COVID-19 History Project

This really happened.

This Day in COVID: August 3, 2020

Trump blasts Birx after she warns coronavirus pandemic is ‘extraordinarily widespread’

Trump’s attack comes after top White House officials admonished House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for undermining trust in Birx.

Politico

Fauci: ‘We Will Get Back to Normal’ But the Pandemic Is Far From Over

US News

They Know What A Pandemic Is': HIV Survivors See Similarities To AIDS Epidemic

The coronavirus pandemic feels eerily familiar to people who faced the AIDS crisis. It triggers memories of confusion over how the disease is transmitted and huge numbers of people dying quickly.

NPR

Use of facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Lancet

Trump slams Covid-19 comment by Dr. Birx as 'pathetic'

CNN

Dr. Fauci swooped in to defend coronavirus czar Dr. Birx after Trump called her 'pathetic' for acknowledging that the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse in the US

Fauci elaborated on Birx's analysis of the pandemic, saying she was referring to the 'insidious' coronavirus spread through asymptomatic carriers.

Business Insider

Fauci says states seeing surge in COVID-19 cases should reconsider some lockdown measures

Reuters

Fauci says he thinks there is ‘a degree’ of airborne spread of the coronavirus

Dr. Anthony Fauci said it has become 'much clearer' that someone is likely at greater risk if they're in an indoor space where there's less air circulation and 'any degree of aerosolization.'

CNBC

Who's first in line for a COVID-19 vaccine? The debate begins

“Not everybody’s going to like the answer,” Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said recently.

NBC

Russia gears up for mass vaccination against coronavirus despite international skepticism

Doctors and teachers would be the first to be vaccinated, Russia's health minister said, while mass vaccinations are planned for October.

CNBC

Face shield vs. mask: Which prevents the spread of COVID-19 better?

Because the coronavirus spreads mostly through small respiratory droplets, masks appear to be more effective than face shields, experts say.

CBS

One person is dying of COVID-19 every seven minutes in Iran: state TV

Reuters

Chief of staff to Brazil's Bolsonaro tests positive for COVID-19

Reuters

The Last California County Without a Coronavirus Case

New York Times

Time to resume COVID restrictions in some safe states?

Officials in states that appear to have COVID-19 under control should keep an eye on a slow rise in cases, and take the chance to enact modest measures before case numbers begin to rise rapidly again, a Harvard expert said.

Harvard

Impact of COVID-19 on maternal and child health

The Lancet

COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia: monitoring the clinical course in survivors

The Lancet

Religious Groups Received $6-10 Billion In COVID-19 Relief Funds, Hope For More

More than 400 evangelical churches and ministries each received forgivable loans worth at least $1 million.

NPR

Next big COVID-19 treatment may be manufactured antibodies

Reuters

Vitamin D for COVID-19: a case to answer?

The Lancet

Raptors rookie Terence Davis arrives to game with hole in mask

The NBA – with threat of fine and suspension – reminded everyone inside the bubble to wear their masks.

NBC

Simple steps can ease children’s attitudes about wearing masks

Purdue University

Duke Buses Spread the Message: Wear a Mask

Duke University

Everyone must wear face masks inside SC restaurants starting at 5 p.m. Monday, governor orders

Gov. Henry McMaster announced the order July 29 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

WIS10

Wearing a face mask is an act of solidarity, WHO chief says

WHO head calls on countries to implement basic public health measures as he warns there will be no 'silver bullet' to end the pandemic

The Telegraph

COVID-19 mask mandates in Wisconsin and elsewhere spark 'my body, my choice' hypocrisy

This hypocrisy rests upon a conservative logic that has weaponized “equality” to establish a false equivalency — with women paying the price.

NBC

Delta flight returned to gate after two passengers on board refused to wear masks

Delta has banned at least 120 passengers who refused to wear a face mask.

CBS

Cher, With Newfound Mask Anonymity, Heads to Sephora

Her look screams, “I am not Cher!” Which of course reads as “I am Cher.”

Vanity Fair

Michigan shoppers improve mask compliance, based on MLive survey of 41 stores

Nine of 10 Michigan shoppers are covering their mouths and noses, and 97% are covering at least their mouth, based on an MLive survey.

MLive

U.S. needs to get daily cases down to 10,000 before fall, Fauci says

'If we don't get them down, then we're going to have a really bad situation,' Fauci said.

NBC

Dr. Fauci recommends wearing goggles to prevent catching the coronavirus

Should you wear eye protection to fend off COVID-19? Here’s what research says so far.

Market Watch

Disgraced Nevada researcher behind Fauci COVID-19 conspiracy theory

Dr. Judy Mikovits, who made a splash online in May with an excerpt of her “Plandemic” documentary, is now making waves with a strange COVID-19 theory involving Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Henry Ford defends hydroxychloroquine study, 'saddened' by drug's politicization

Detroit News

In His Latest Coronavirus Rant, Trump Slams Fauci, CNN, China, and the Democrats

The president's outburst comes hours after he criticized Dr. Deborah Birx.

Mother Jones

Combative and supremely loyal, Peter Navarro has emerged as one of Trump's most powerful aides

'When the president says jump ... he just jumps through the roof without asking questions,' one former official said.

NBC

Trump says nationwide lockdown would ‘ultimately inflict more harm than it would prevent’

While Trump said he wouldn't shut down the U.S., he urged Americans to stay 'vigilant' against the coronavirus as U.S. officials begin to see new 'flare-ups.'

CNBC

There may never be a 'silver bullet' for COVID-19, WHO warns

The road back to normality will be long, the WHO said.

NBC

Health workers, especially minorities, at high risk for COVID, even with PPE

CIDRAP

One scientist’s six-point recovery plan to tackle COVID-19 anxiety

Fernando T. Maestre was diagnosed with anxiety during Spain’s coronavirus lockdown. A change in approach to work, life and parenting helped to restore his health.

Nature

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 3, 2021

Details

What to Know About the Yankees’ Coronavirus Outbreak (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Wild deer have coronavirus antibodies

Science | AAAS

Yankees’ Shutdown Emphasizes Staying Power of the Coronavirus (Published 2021)

The New York Times

All about your coronavirus vaccine card (and what to do if you lose it)

The Washington Post

Coronavirus: Vaccines & Variants with Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD

The Washington Post

This is how much work is left to vaccinate the world against COVID-19

The World Economic Forum

Gov. Hogan: Maryland not planning new mask mandates

Governor Larry Hogan said Tuesday his administration has no plans to reimpose a state mask mandate.

WMAR 2 News

Vaccines work well against the delta variant. Here’s why you should wear a mask anyway

AAMC

China’s Wuhan to test ‘all residents’ as COVID-19 returns

City where COVID-19 first emerged reported seven locally transmitted case among migrant workers.

Al Jazeera

Infographic: COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the Middle East and North Africa

Since multiple vaccines for COVID-19 became available at the end of 2020, countries across the world have struggled to ensure that their populations have access to sufficient quantities of the vaccines.

Brookings

How the Kyrgyz Republic Tackled the Pandemic

The Kyrgyz Republic was the first country to receive IMF emergency funding to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. IMF Country Focus spoke with the mission chief, Nikoloz Gigineishvili, about the pandemic’s impact on the economy and how the IMF supported the recovery.

International Monetary Fund

COVID ‘Fast Grants’ sped up pandemic science

Programme awarded US$50 million in rapid grants and highlights limitations in existing scientific-funding mechanisms.

Nature

Surprise dip in UK COVID cases baffles researchers

Daily recorded infections have more than halved since mid-July. Few researchers anticipated such a sharp decline, and they are now struggling to interpret it.

Nature

SARS-CoV-2-derived fusion inhibitor lipopeptides exhibit highly potent and broad-spectrum activity against divergent human coronaviruses - Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

Nature

Thromboembolism after COVID-19 vaccine in patients with preexisting thrombocytopenia - Cell Death & Disease

Nature

Americans Suffer Pandemic Whiplash as Leaders Struggle With Changing Virus (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Macau begins COVID-19 tests and shuts some entertainment venues, casino stocks fall

Reuters

Coronavirus likely to lock India's women out of job market for years

Reuters

No COVID-19 climate silver lining in the US power sector - Nature Communications

COVID-19 has decreased power sector emissions globally and in the United States. Here the authors assess whether such reductions would have occurred in the United States in the absence of the pandemic, as well as the potential impact of COVID-19 on coal-fired power plant retirements through 2022.

Nature

Turkey's coronavirus cases jump to nearly 25,000, highest since early May

Reuters

Time-varying optimization of COVID-19 vaccine prioritization in the context of limited vaccination capacity - Nature Communications

In the context of limited supply, strategies for optimising allocation of COVID-19 vaccines are needed. Here, the authors explore time-varying strategies that adapt to the epidemiological situation and simultaneously optimise for multiple objectives including reducing numbers of infections, hospitalisations, and deaths.

Nature

A worldwide assessment of changes in adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours and hypothesized pandemic fatigue - Nature Human Behaviour

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Petherick, Goldszmidt et al. show that, from March to December 2020, adherence to physical distancing fell worldwide, while mask-wearing adherence increased.

Nature

Modelling, prediction and design of COVID-19 lockdowns by stringency and duration - Scientific Reports

Nature

Tennessee lawmaker, once a coronavirus skeptic, now urging everyone to get vaccinated

"Covid took over my lungs with lightning speed," GOP state Rep. David Byrd said. "I developed pneumonia. I got sicker and sicker, and more and more anxious."

NBC News

Panic-Buying And Transport Lockdowns. In Wuhan, It Feels Like Early Pandemic Again

In a dramatic move reminiscent of the first days of the coronavirus in China some 19 months ago, flights and trains in and out of the city of 11 million have been halted.

NPR

Greece's Entire Synchronized Swimming Team Is Out After Positive Coronavirus Tests

First came news that one athlete had tested positive; three more quickly followed. Now the whole team is being moved to a separate hotel.

NPR

A Bright Spot Amid Haiti's Woes: Its 1st Mass Rollout Of COVID Vaccines

Haiti received its first shipment of doses in July, just days after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse — and amid rising violence, poverty and the hurricane season.

NPR

Russia’s Vaccine Diplomacy Is Mostly Smoke and Mirrors

Russian scientists rolled out the country’s COVID-19 vaccine last summer, beating Western vaccine producers to the finish line. But scarce data, broken promises, and corruption have led the vaccine to lose its luster.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

What Can Employers Do to Require or Encourage Workers to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine? | KFF

This fact sheet reviews what employers can and cannot do under current rules and guidance to require or encourage their workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

KFF