The COVID-19 History Project

This really happened.

This Day in COVID: August 7, 2020

Bill Gates thinks the COVID-19 pandemic won't be over until the end of 2021, even for the world's richest countries

Gates predicts that the world's richest nations will get the virus under control by end of next year while the world as a whole could need until 2022.

Business Insider

Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely

Researchers want to use this information to predict and stop future outbreaks.

Nature

Covid-19 patients not showing symptoms may carry just as much virus as those who do, new study finds

CNN

As Fauci battles the pandemic and politics, his grateful neighbors celebrate him as a hero

Washington Post

Fauci’s DC neighbors put up ‘thank you’ signs in their yards

The Hill

Russia’s race for COVID-19 vaccine raises concerns at home and abroad

LA Times

Dr. Anthony Fauci says chance of coronavirus vaccine being highly effective is ‘not great’

Scientists are hoping for a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, but 50% or 60% effective would be acceptable, too, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

CNBC

Anti-maskers explain themselves

'If I’m going to get Covid and die from it, then so be it.'

Vox

Extra credit for masks? With no mandates at their schools, teachers urge students to wear them

'I need as much protection as I can get,' said a 72-year-old cancer survivor in Oklahoma whose students will return to school five days a week but won't be required to wear masks.

NBC

Masks to combat COVID-19: Which countries are embracing, requiring or rejecting them? A global guide

The pandemic has made face coverings a routine part of our everyday lives. But it hasn't come easily, and some regions were quicker to adapt them than others, The Globe reports

The Globe and Mail

Coronavirus FAQ: Can An Airline Put You On A No-Fly List For Refusing To Mask Up?

The matter of masks on planes has led to some contentious moments — and serious consequences. Is it legal to ban a passenger from flying for violating a mask mandate?

NPR

How Did I Catch the Coronavirus?

For the majority of the nearly five million COVID-19 cases across the United States, the point of infection is unknown.

New Yorker

EU drops Morocco from safe country travel list

Reuters

Negotiators fail to reach deal in coronavirus relief talks

Trump again vowed to issue a series of contentious executive orders amid the stalemate.

Politico

Mexico's energy minister to quarantine for two weeks after coronavirus contact

Reuters

Virus ‘Checkpoints’ in N.Y.C. to Enforce Travel Rules? Well, Not Exactly

New York Times

Coronavirus relief favors white households, leaving many people of color at risk of being evicted

Renters miss out on federal aid while communities prep for hurricanes and ongoing pandemic

Politico

A Cure for COVID-19 Will Take More Than Personal Immunity

Scientific American

A Historian of Economic Crisis on the World After COVID-19

A leading expert on financial crises explains how the pandemic is upending economic orthodoxy and raising the stakes of the 2020 election.

NY Mag

Thousands Volunteer for COVID-19 Vaccine Study

Scientific American

Chronic fatigue syndrome a possible long-term effect of Covid-19, experts say

CNN

How COVID-19 might increase risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

The Conversation

Emissions dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The climate impact won’t last

New estimates suggest coronavirus shutdowns cut global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels by nearly 30 percent, on average.

Science News

One in Three Americans Would Not Get COVID-19 Vaccine

About two-thirds of Americans say they would agree to get vaccinated with a free, FDA-approved coronavirus vaccine if one were available; one-third would not.

Gallup

Facebook, Twitter penalize Trump for posts containing coronavirus misinformation

Washington Post

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: August 7, 2021

Details

Thai police fire tear gas at protest over COVID response

AP News

Universal Face-Mask Mandates Are Back. Here’s What to Know.

Amid the Delta wave, the CDC is once again recommending indoor mask mandates, including in all schools. But the debate remains politically fraught.

New York Magazine

7 brutally funny cartoons about America's endless mask debate

Artists take on changing recommendations, southern states' COVID surges, and more

The Week

Vocal anti-vaccine broadcaster dies from COVID-19 complications

Former radio talk show host Dick Farrel, known and beloved by fans for his over-the-top right-wing opinions, has died from complications from COVID-19.

FOX 13 News Utah

Masks Aren't Going Anywhere. So Why Not Beta Test This Sci-Fi Mask From Razer?

Project Hazel is now out of the concept stage and has been given a proper name, the Razer Zephyr.

Forbes

The Kindergarten Exodus (Published 2021)

The New York Times

As Virus Cases Rise, Another Contagion Spreads Among the Vaccinated: Anger (Published 2021)

The New York Times

As Covid Cases Hit Record High in Tokyo, Can the Olympic Bubble Hold? (Published 2021)

The New York Times

India reports 39,070 new coronavirus cases in last 24 hours

Reuters

United States’ Johnson and Johnson Vaccines Arrive in Malawi

Unicef

Alarmed Louisiana Residents Turn to Vaccines in ‘Darkest Days’ of Pandemic (Published 2021)

The New York Times

I want this pandemic to end – yet I secretly pine for another lockdown

For some of us, living with Covid the past 18 months gave us permission to slow down, and to re-evaluate how we want to live when this is finally over

The Guardian

Berkshire Hathaway Shakes Off the Ill Effects of the Pandemic (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Prof Francois Balloux: ‘The pandemic has created a market for gloom and doom’

The UCL scientist and ‘militant corona centrist’ on the risk of new variants, psychosomatic long Covid and when he expects the crisis to end

The Guardian

18 percent of migrant families leaving Border Patrol custody positive for Covid

In addition, over 25 percent of migrants recently scheduled for some “expedited” deportation flights tested positive, says a document obtained by NBC News.

NBC News