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In 2020, life changed across the globe.

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. Though initially discovered in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, COVID-19 entered the conversation in the U.S. in January 2020. At that time, the of the outbreak abroad.

Later in January 2020, the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was reported in the state of Washington.

The outbreak escalated quickly from there. For a while, experts didn't know how the virus behaved. They didn't know how it spread or how quickly. They didn't know how much of a threat it was to public health. COVID-19 tests were still in development and were not readily available to the public.

By March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global health emergency. They named the virus "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" or "SARS-CoV-2."

In March 2020, the WHO officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

In May 2023, the WHO and former U.S. President Joe Biden declared an end to the pandemic. Here’s what happened along the way.

March 2020

• WHO declares pandemic.

April 2020

• U.S. announces Operation Warp Speed to develop a COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible.

June 2020

• U.S. reports 2 million cases.

August 2020

• COVID-19 becomes 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S.

September 2020

• Global deaths reach 1 million.

December 2020

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines.

January 2021

• New COVID-19 variants are reported in the U.S. and across the globe.

February 2021

• COVID-19 cases surpass 100 million worldwide, with 2 million deaths.

March 2021

• Over 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given in the U.S.

October 2021

• WHO defines "long COVID-19." Long COVID is a combination of symptoms people may have three months after they test positive for COVID-19. These symptoms may last for at least two months and include fatigue, shortness of breath and cognitive dysfunction.

November 2021

• WHO declares omicron variant of COVID-19 a “variant of concern.”
• The FDA approves booster mRNA vaccines for everyone ages 18 and older. 

January 2022

• Omicron variant surges in the U.S., accounting for 99% of COVID-19 cases.
• FDA fully approves the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 18 and older.

March 2022

• WHO shows pandemic increased anxiety and depression by 25% worldwide â€� especially in young people and women.
• FDA authorizes second booster dose of mRNA vaccines for adults ages 50 and older and people who are immunocompromised.

June 2022

• More than 84 million COVID-19 cases are recorded in the U.S.

July 2022

• The FDA approves the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 12 to 15, following EUA in May 2021.

February 2023

• Worldwide tally reaches 755 million COVID-19 cases and 6.8 million deaths.

May 2023

• The WHO declares an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• U.S. President Joe Biden ends national and public health emergencies for COVID-19.

COVID-19 still circulates among the global population. Talk to your primary care clinician about the COVID-19 vaccine and learn what COVID-19 symptoms look like.