The COVID-19 History Project

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This Day in COVID: April 4, 2020

Details

Experts tell White House coronavirus can spread through talking or even just breathing

CNN

As coronavirus surges, non-COVID medical emergencies take a back seat, putting patients at risk

Doctors fear a spike in deaths unrelated to the coronavirus as patients delay getting care for life-threatening conditions.

NBC

I’m disabled and need a ventilator to live. Am I expendable during this pandemic?

As medical rationing becomes a reality, 'quality of life' measures threaten disabled people like me.

Vox

How society can overcome covid-19

Countries can test, quarantine and prepare for the post-coronavirus world, says Larry Brilliant, an epidemiologist

The Economist

Coronavirus Case Counts Are Meaningless*

*Unless you know something about testing. And even then, it gets complicated.

FiveThirtyEight

How the cell phones of spring breakers who flouted coronavirus warnings were tracked

CNN

The Americans defying Palm Sunday quarantines: 'Satan's trying to keep us apart'

Reuters

Ecuador stores coronavirus victims in giant fridges as morgues fill up

Reuters

Why wear face masks in public? Here’s what the research shows

The Conversation

Listen: Should You Wear a Mask?

What the new CDC recommendations on mask-wearing actually mean.

The Atlantic

To help stop coronavirus, everyone should be wearing face masks. The science is clear

Even people without symptoms can infect other just by speaking but a simple cloth covering can stop us spreading harmful dropletsCoronavirus – latest US updates

The Guardian

The noble lie about masks and coronavirus should never have been told

Just tell the complicated truth about coronavirus

The Week

Opinion | How China’s fake news machine is rewriting the history of Covid-19, even as the pandemic unfolds

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s retweet of an article blaming the U.S. for infecting Wuhan with coronavirus went viral, viewed 160 million times within hours. But where did the story come from?

Politico

A Virus Doesn’t Care Where You’re From

New York Times

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: April 4, 2021

Details

Should the Tokyo Olympics be canceled because of COVID?

Some health experts fear even a toned-down version of the Games could become a global superspreader event.

Yahoo

Europe ramps up vaccinations as virus haunts Easter holidays

ABC27

Are we entering a ‘fourth wave’ of the pandemic? Experts disagree.

Washington Post

Texas Rangers to reopen stadium at full capacity despite COVID-19 case numbers

The Texas Rangers will be the first MLB team to reopening their stadium to all fans since the pandemic began. Some are concerned, including the president.

ABC

'Fauci ouchie': small online sellers find lifeline in vaccine-themed merchandise

From badges to foam hats, switch to selling quirky items has offer financial respite during pandemic

The Guardian

How Wisconsin turned around its lagging vaccination program — and buoyed a Biden health pick

Washington Post

Vaccine Cheat Days Are Adding Up

Vaccinated and unvaccinated people are getting more lax with behavior at a time when vigilance really matters.

The Atlantic

Libertarians need to shut up about vaccine passports, everything else - The Nevada Independent

We want to go outside. We want to go inside. Many of us want to eat in restaurants, go to bars, go to concerts, visit conventions, and otherwise socialize with random strangers without worrying overly much about whether or not we should go all Howard Hughes-y when we get back home.

The Nevada Independent

Covid: Passports showing vaccine status would be time-limited, says minister

The FA Cup final will be among events to only admit fans who get a negative test or prove immunity.

BBC

How effective is the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine?

As the COVID-19 vaccines reach more people across the country, some people ask: Could we delay second doses to allow more people to be vaccinated more quickly?

ASBMB Today

How COVID-19 has impacted Nigerians with disabilities

From social distancing as a visually impaired person to coping with closed hospitals, five Nigerians tell their stories.

Al Jazeera

Why you shouldn’t laminate your vaccination card

ABC27