COVID-19: A Year in Review

First COVID-19 Case in the US: January 20

A patient in Washington state was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus after traveling to Wuhan China, the source of the virus. The patient, a man in his 30s, re-entered the U.S. before airport screening measures were implemented and before any of his symptoms developed.

First COVID-19 Case in NC: March 3

A Wake County resident was the first in North Carolina to test positive for COVID-19 on March 3. The patient had traveled to Washington state to a long-term care facility where there was an outbreak of the virus. The unidentified patient was put into isolation at home and the state’s contact tracing measures began.

High School Sports Suspended: March 12

High school sports, including competitions, workouts and practices, were suspended March 12 with hopes to return by April 6. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association made the call as case counts started rising across the state.

K-12 Schools Shut Down Statewide: March 14

Gov. Roy Cooper issued his first major Executive Order on March 14, shutting down all K-12 public schools in the state. Just over a week later on March 23, Cooper would update this order, keeping schools closed until at least May 15.

First COVID-19 Case Confirmed in Alamance County: March 20

The first COVID-19 case in Alamance County was confirmed on March 20 by the Alamance County Health Department. The next day, another case would be reported. Four days later, another. By the end of the month, nine cases had been reported.

North Carolina Stay at Home Order Issued:  March 30

Previous Executive Orders issued by Cooper had closed restaurants to dine-in service, increased unemployment benefits, banned mass gatherings of more than 50 people and closed some businesses, but on March 30, the Stay at Home order was put in place. Residents were asked to stay at home except to visit essential businesses, exercise outdoors or help a family member in need. Gatherings of more than 10 people were also banned under this order.

COVID-19 Only Hospital Opened for Triad Patients: April 13

Cone Health converted its Green Valley Campus, formerly known as Women's Hospital, in Greensboro to a COVID-only facility on April 13. Critically ill COVID-19 patients could be transferred to the facility or admitted by their physician. The hospital system converted the facility in anticipation of rising case counts.

First COVID-19 Death Reported in Alamance County: April 23

Alamance County’s first COVID-19 death was reported on April 23 by the Alamance County Health Department. The individual, who was over 65 and had underlying health conditions, died at the hospital. The first death came just over a month after the first case.

High School Sports Officially Canceled in North Carolina: April 24

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association and the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association announced April 24 they would cancel the remainder of their spring sports season. The decision followed the closure of schools for the rest of the year, announced the week before by Cooper. State championship basketball games, which had been on pause since March, were also canceled.

Alamance County Tops 100 COVID-19 Cases: April 30

On April 30, the Alamance County Health Department reported there were 109 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among county residents, marking the first milestone in the county’s rising case count. At that time, 56 people were in isolation and 52 had recovered. One person had died by that time.

North Carolina Enters Phase 2: May 22

On May 22, Executive Order 141 lifted the Stay at Home order, moving the state to Phase 2 of reopening. The new Safer at Home order allowed restaurants to open with capacity limits, reopened childcare centers, personal care businesses and pools and allowed gatherings of up to 10 people inside and 25 people outside. Sporting events were also allowed to resume subject to gathering limits.

Alamance County Tops 500 COVID-19 Cases: June 8

The county case count topped 500 on June 8 when 528 cases were reported by the Health Department. In the wake of holiday gatherings for Memorial Day, case counts in Alamance started rising quickly, just as public health officials had feared. On that day, 208 people were in isolation, 23 were hospitalized and 30 deaths had been reported.

Alamance County Tops 1,000 COVID-19 Cases: June 24

Just weeks later, Alamance County topped another milestone, recording 1,004 confirmed cases of COVID-19. At that time, 184 people were quarantined, 13 were hospitalized and 6 deaths had been reported. Case counts continued to climb through the summer.

North Carolina Enacts a Face Mask Requirement: June 24

In June, Cooper issued another order, putting in place a face mask requirement for people out in public when social distancing is not possible.

Some High School Sports Allowed To Return: August 12

In August, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association released its amended 2020-2021 athletic calendar with only three sports – cross country, volleyball and swimming—allowed to compete in 2020. After months of questions on if or when fall sports would continue, answers finally came. Basketball, lacrosse and soccer would not be allowed to compete until January with football following in February. More sports would be allowed to resume competition in March and April 2021.

North Carolina Enters Phase 2.5: September 4

After months under the Safer at Home order, North Carolina’s COVID-19 case count was still climbing. The state moved into Phase 2.5 which eased some restrictions, but still encouraged residents to stay home. Mass gathering limits were increased to 25 people inside and 50 people outside, playgrounds reopened and museums and gyms were allowed to open with capacity limits.

North Carolina Enters Phase 3: October 2

Under Phase 3 of reopening, large outdoor venues like sporting arenas were allowed to reopen with 7 percent seating capacity limits. Gaming establishments and meeting spaces in hotels, conferences centers and more were also reopened with capacity limits.

Alamance High School Athletics Resume: October 5

On October 5, the Alamance-Burlington School System gave Alamance athletes and coaches the green light to resume team workouts. Start dates for practices were set throughout October for some sports and November and December for others whose competitions would start later.

Alamance County Tops 5,000 COVID-19 Cases: October 21

Alamance topped 5,000 cases on October 21 when 5,013 cases were reported by the Health Department. By the end of that week, 84 people had died in the county. About two weeks later, by Nov. 9, another 1,000 cases would be reported, but the numbers didn’t stop there.

North Carolina Goes Back Into a Modified Stay at Home Order: December 11

Executive Order 181 established a curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., forcing restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, parks, museums and more to close early nightly as well as encouraged residents to stay home during these hours. Alcohol sales after 9 p.m. were prohibited and capacity limits set out in previous orders were extended.

Vaccines Arrive in North Carolina: December 14

The first COVID-19 vaccines – the Pfizer vaccine – arrived in North Carolina on December 14 at Duke Health, Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health hospitals. More than 85,000 doses of the vaccine were shipped to North Carolina in the first week of the vaccine rollout and vaccinations began promptly for healthcare workers. The state also revealed its vaccination timeline this week.

Alamance County Tops 10,000 COVID-19 Cases: December 22

Just before Christmas, Alamance County hit its latest milestone: more than 10,000 COVID-19 cases reported in the county. On December 22, 10,057 cases had been reported. Days later, on Dec. 28, 10,583 had tested positive and 147 people had died. More cases are expected in the wake of holiday gatherings.

Alamance County Vaccinations Begin: December 22

COVID-19 vaccinations for Alamance Regional Medical Center staff began on Tuesday, Dec. 22, just over a week after the first vaccines were shipped into the state. The hospital received 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the initial disbursement and another 1,950 doses are expected at 2020 draws to a close.

This article originally appeared on Times-News: COVID-19: A Year in Review