On 11 June, after 55 days without a locally transmitted case being officially reported,[271] the city of Beijing reported a single COVID-19 case, followed by two more cases on 12 June.[272] As of 15 June 2020, 79 cases were officially confirmed.[273] Most of these patients went to Xinfadi Wholesale Market.[271][274]
On 29 June, WHO warned that the spread of the virus was still accelerating as countries reopened their economies, despite many countries having made progress in slowing down the spread.[275]
On 15 July, one COVID-19 case was officially reported in Dalian in more than three months. The patient did not travel outside the city in the 14 days before developing symptoms, nor did he have contact with people from "areas of attention."[276]
In October, the WHO stated, at a special meeting of WHO leaders, that one in ten people around the world may have been infected with COVID-19. At the time, that translated to 780 million people being infected, while only 35 million infections had been confirmed.[277]
In early November, Denmark reported on an outbreak of a unique mutated variant being transmitted to humans from minks in its North Jutland Region. All twelve human cases of the mutated variant were identified in September 2020. The WHO released a report saying the variant "had a combination of mutations or changes that have not been previously observed."[278] In response, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ordered for the country – the world's largest producer of mink fur – to cull its mink population by as many as 17 million.[279]
On 9 November, Pfizer released their trial results for a candidate vaccine, showing that it is 90% effective against the virus.[280] Later that day, Novavax entered an FDA Fast Track application for their vaccine.[281] Virologist and U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci indicated that the Pfizer vaccine targets the spike protein used to infect cells by the virus. Some issues left to be answered are how long the vaccine offers protection, and if it offers the same level of protection to all ages. Initial doses will likely go to healthcare workers on the front lines.[282]
On 9 November 2020, the United States surpassed 10 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, making it the country with the most cases worldwide by a large margin.[283]
It was reported on 27 November, that a publication released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the number of viral infections are via confirmed laboratory test only. However, the true number could be about eight times the reported number; the report further indicated that the true number of virus infected cases could be around 100 million in the U.S.[284][285]
On 14 December, Public Health England reported a new variant had been discovered in the South East of England, predominantly in Kent. The variant, named Variant of Concern 202012/01, showed changes to the spike protein which could make the virus more infectious. As of 13 December, there were 1,108 cases identified.[286] Many countries halted all flights from the UK;[287] France-bound Eurotunnel service was suspended and ferries carrying passengers and accompanied freight were cancelled as the French border closed to people on 20 December.[288]
2021
Timelines of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 by month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August
On 2 January, VOC-202012/01, a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first discovered in the UK, had been identified in 33 countries around the world, including Pakistan, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Norway, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, India, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, and China.[289]
On 6 January, the P.1 variant was first identified in Japanese travellers who had just returned from Brazil.[290]
On 12 January, it was reported that a team of scientists from the World Health Organization would arrive in Wuhan on the 14th of the month; this is to ascertain the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and determine what were the intermediate hosts between the original reservoir and humans.[291] On the following day, two of the WHO members were barred from entering China because, according to the country, antibodies for the virus were detected in both.[292]
On 29 January, it was reported that the Novavax vaccine was only 49% effective against the 501.V2 variant in a clinical trial in South Africa.[293][294] The China COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac indicated 50.4% effectivity in a Brazil clinical trial.[295]
On 12 March it was reported that several countries, including Thailand, Denmark, Bulgaria, Norway and Iceland, had stopped using the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine due to what was being called severe blood clotting problems, a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Additionally, Austria halted the use of one batch of the aforementioned vaccine as well.[296] On 20 March, the WHO and European Medicines Agency found no link between thrombus (a blood clot of clinical importance), leading several European countries to resume administering the AstraZeneca vaccine.[297]
On 29 March, it was reported that the U.S. government was planning to introduce COVID-19 vaccination 'passports' to allow those who have been vaccinated the ability to board aeroplanes, cruise ships as well as other activities.[298]
In April and May, a severe wave of infections hit India, where the Delta variant was first identified. In mid-April, the variant was first detected in the UK and two months later it has catalysed a third wave in the country, forcing the government to delay the full reopening from lockdown which was originally scheduled on 21 June.[299]
As of 9 August 2021, more than 202 million cases have been reported worldwide due to COVID-19; more than 4.29 million have died.[4]
