The date was Feb. 20, 2020. The novel coronavirus had its tentacles burrowed deep in China. It was now extending its reach in dribs and drabs to Southeast Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Situation Report recorded 75,748 total cases globally on this day, 98 percent of which were in China. WHO called it an epidemic: the outbreak of a rapidly spreading disease. Global surveillance was underway, but the virus did not yet rise to the level of pandemic: a disease all over the world.
