The Coronavirus Timeline

 
 
 

Vocabulary

illness	appear	contagious
exhibit	symptom	patient (2)
viral	authority	pneumonia
admit	outbreak	investigate
among	wildlife	sell/sold/sold
tie (2)	casualty	shut/shut/shut
dawn	declare	fall victim
culprit	novel (2)	shut down
affect	confirm	rise/rose/risen
border	case (2)	unsettling
likely	drastic	transmission
mask	predict	wear/wore/worn
treat	follow (2)	grow/grew/grown
spread	step (2)	suspend (2)
report	period (3)	incubation
carrier	post (3)	begin/began/begun
infect	remain	emergency
kick in	response	coordinate
infect	province	lock down
victim	announce	claim a life
reach	mainland	whistle blower
claim	whistle	blow/blew/blown

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Video: The Coronavirus Timeline

 
 
 
 

Transcript

People with an unknown illness began appearing at Wuhan Central Hospital in early December, 2019.

Late in the month, Li Wenliang a doctor there, posts on social media that patients in the hospital were exhibiting symptoms of “viral pneumonia”.

Chinese health authorities admit they’re investigating an outbreak. Among the first patients, many have direct ties to the Wuhan Seafood Market, where wildlife is also sold.

By January first, it shut down.

Early January

As 2020 dawns, Chinese health authorities announce they’ve identified the culprit: a novel coronavirus. A sixty-one (61) year old becomes the outbreak’s first casualty.

The number of people affected starts to rise.

And before long, Thailand confirms a first case outside China’s borders. Then Japan reports another. Unsettlingly, neither have visited the Wuhan market, so person to person transmission sounds increasingly likely.

And inside China, the virus spreads to other cities. People begin wearing masks. Over two-hundred (200) cases are confirmed. Experts predict many more.

Late January

Medical workers in Wuhan themselves grow sick after treating patients. Taiwan the US report cases, followed by a number of other countries, including Germany.

The Chinese government takes a drastic step: suspending all traffic out of Wuhan, as well as public transport in the city.

Researchers report the coronavirus has an incubation period, and that carriers not yet showing symptoms might be contagious — right as the Lunar New Year starts; and millions of people begin moving around the country.

There are nearly two-thousand confirmed cases worldwide. Fifty have died.

The WHO (World Health Organization) declared the outbreak a global health emergency, kicking in a more coordinated, international response.

Early February

As January turns to February, Wuhan remains in lock-down. Cases are confirmed in every province of Mainland China. Li Wenliang, the doctor and whistle-blower, falls victim to the novel coronavirus, one of many.

In just over two months, it’s reached at least twenty-seven (27) countries, infected over forty-two thousand (42,000) people and claimed over a thousand lives.

 

 

Questions

1. In early December, 2019, locals came to a hospital in Wuhan, and said that they had a coronavirus infection. True or false?

2. Did they contract the illness from visiting sailors?

3. People can only become infected through bites from bats, snakes and civet cats. Is this right or wrong?

4. Is the coronavirus epidemic confined to Wuhan, China, or has it spread elsewhere?

5. Has the government taken action? What measures has the government taken?

6. Only people who are sneezing and coughing can transmit the disease. Is this correct or incorrect?

7. Is the coronavirus very contagious? Is it fatal?

 

A. I have had the common cold. Yes or no?

B. Do you know anyone who never or seldom gets ill? Do know people who often gets ill?

C. Why do people get sick? How can people cure themselves of the flu or cold?

D. What might happen in the future?

E. What should people and governments do?

F. Are there “conspiracy theories” behind the coronavirus epidemic?