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BEIJING, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

As more countries take stringent measures to stem the spread of the disease,

CGTN charts the progress of COVID-19 over the past months.

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(CGTN charts the progress of COVID-19 over the past months.)

The discovery

Since early December, people in Wuhan had been falling ill with respiratory

problems.

On December 27, 2019, Zhang Jixian, head of a hospital's respiratory department

in Hubei Province, reported a new contagious disease to health officials after

treating patients with flu-like symptoms.

Three days later, lab results for a patient at Wuhan Central Hospital showed

"SARS coronavirus". Dr. Ai Fen, the emergency department head, took a photo of

the report, which soon circulated among Wuhan doctors.

Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist, shared the photo with his former medical

school classmates in a private WeChat group, alerting them to a "SARS-like"

coronavirus.

On December 31, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued a statement

confirming 27 viral pneumonia cases tied to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale

Market, which was shut down the next day.

Virus identified

Health authorities then identified a new strain of coronavirus as the cause of

the unknown pneumonia by testing the genetic makeup of a virus sample obtained

from an infected patient.

On January 11, Wuhan's health officials reported the first confirmed fatality

stemming from the coronavirus – a 61-year-old man died of severe pneumonia on

January 9, who was a regular customer of the Huanan Seafood Market.

Meanwhile, more infected cases were popping up.

At the peak of the annual holiday travel rush, Chinese authorities ordered a

lockdown on Wuhan, Hubei's capital with a population of 11 million.

The lockdown was then extended to a dozen cities in Hubei Province.

A global emergency

On January 30, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a public health emergency

of international concern (PHEIC).

In the following days, many countries limited or barred the entry of Chinese

nationals, suspending inbound flights and imposing strict travel restrictions.

Within a short span of time, France announced the first death from the

coronavirus in Europe, while South Korea reported a cluster of over 1,600

infections linked to a church in Daegu. All signs pointed to a coming global

outbreak.

For details, please visit

https://news.cgtn.com/event/2020/The-Pandemic/index.html?utm_source=bluef&utm_medium=CgtnWebsiteCampaign&utm_campaign=pandemic

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SOURCE CGTN

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