The following is a timeline of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United States, it has resulted in confir ...

during 2021.

Timeline

January

January 1

* On January 1, the U.S. passed 20 million cases, representing an increase of more than one million over the past week. By comparison, it had taken the country 292 days to pass 10 million cases, whereas it passed 20 million in 54 days.

January 4

* On January 4, a confirmed case of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom was reported in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The patient is a man in his 60s living in Saratoga County in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...

, who had no travel history to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

January 5

* On January 5, a confirmed case of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom was reported in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The patient is an 18-year-old male with no travel history. * Also on January 5, the U.S. passed 21 million cases, just four days after passing 20 million cases.

January 6

* On January 6, the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georg ...

(CDC) announced that it had found at least 52 confirmed cases of the more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant: 26 in California, 22 in Florida, two in Colorado, and one each in Georgia and New York. The agency also stressed that there could already be more cases in the country.

January 7

* On January 7, more cases of the variant were reported: two in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

, one in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and one in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

January 9

* On January 9, the U.S. passed 22 million cases. * Also on January 9, five confirmed cases of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom were reported in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

January 11

* On January 11, a confirmed case of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom was reported in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

January 12

* On January 12, two confirmed cases of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom were reported in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

. The patients are a married couple in

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, whi ...

, one of whom had a traveling history to the United Kingdom.

January 13

* On January 13, the U.S. passed 23 million cases, just four days after passing 22 million cases. * Also on January 13, two confirmed cases of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom were reported, one in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

and the other in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

January 15

* On January 15, three confirmed cases of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom were reported, one in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, one in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, and one in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

January 19

* On January 19, the U.S. passed 24 million cases, just six days after passing 23 million cases. * Also on January 19, the U.S. passed 400,000 COVID-19 deaths.

January 21

* The National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness is released.

January 22

* On January 22, the U.S. passed 25 million cases, with one of every 13 Americans testing positive for COVID-19.

January 24

* On January 24, the Capitol Police announced that 38 police officers have tested positive for COVID-19 since the January 6 riot at the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

January 25

* On January 25, the U.S. reported its first case of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant from Brazil (P.1) in

in a person with travel history.

January 28

* On January 28, the U.S. reported its first two cases of a new, possibly vaccine-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variant from South Africa (B.1.351) in South Carolina in two people from different parts of the state with no travel history.

February

February 1

* On February 1, the U.S. passed 26 million cases.

February 7

* On February 7, the U.S. passed 27 million cases.

February 20

* On February 20, the U.S. passed 28 million cases.

February 22

* On February 22, the U.S. passed 500,000 deaths, just five weeks after the country passed 400,000 deaths.

February 23

* By February 23, more than 1,880 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant were reported in 45 states.

March

March 2

* On March 2, Texas and Mississippi announced that they would fully reopen, with Texas scheduling it on March 10 and Mississippi scheduling it on March 3. Both states would continue to make recommendations but also repeal all mandates.

March 5

* By March 5, more than 2,750 cases of COVID-19 variants were detected in 47 states; Washington, D.C.; and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. This number consisted of 2,672 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, 68 cases of the B.1.351 variant, and 13 cases of the P.1 variant.

March 8

* On March 8, the U.S. passed 29 million cases.

March 11

* On March 11, President Joe Biden holds the first prime time address of his presidency. In it, he announced his plan to push states to make vaccines available to all adults by May 1, with the aim to make small gatherings possible by

July 4 Events Pre-1600 *362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. * 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaime ...

March 24

* On March 24, the U.S. passed 30 million cases, just as a number of states began to expand the eligibility age for COVID-19 vaccines.

March 27

* By March 27, more than 8,000 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant were reported across 51 jurisdictions.

April

April 1

* By April 1, more than 11,000 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant were reported, mostly in Florida and Michigan.

April 7

* By April 7, the B.1.1.7 variant had become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S.

April 9

* On April 9, the U.S. passed 31 million cases.

April 12

* On April 12, the U.S. reported its first six cases of a new "double mutant" SARS-CoV-2 variant from India (B.1.617) in California.

April 22

* On April 32nd, the U.S. passed 32 million cases.

April 29

* On April 29, the CDC estimated that roughly 35% of the U.S. population had been infected with the virus as of March 2021, about four times higher than the official reported numbers.

May

May 6

* On May 6, a study by the

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is a research institute working in the area of global health statistics and impact evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. The Institute is headed by Christopher J.L. Murray ...

estimated that the true COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. was more than 900,000 people.

May 13

* On May 13, the CDC changed its guidance and said that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks in most situations.

May 19

* On May 19, the U.S. passed 33 million cases.

June

June 15

* On June 15, the U.S. passed 600,000 deaths.

July

July 7

* By July 7, the

Delta variant The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India in late 2020. The Delta variant was named on 31 May 2021 and had spread to over 179 countries by 22 November 2021. The ...

had surpassed the Alpha variant to become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S., according to CDC data.

July 17

* On July 17, the U.S. passed 34 million cases.

July 27

* On July 27, based on updated information for fully vaccinated people that new evidence on the Delta variant had provided, CDC added a recommendation for those people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. CDC also made other recommendations based on this information.

August

August 1

* On August 1, the U.S. passed 35 million cases.

August 10

* On August 10, the U.S. passed 36 million cases.

August 18

* On August 18, the U.S. passed 37 million cases.

August 24

* On August 24, the U.S. passed 38 million cases.

August 31

* On August 31, the U.S. passed 39 million cases.

September

September 7

* On September 7, the U.S. passed 40 million cases.

September 13

* On September 13, the U.S. passed 41 million cases.

September 15

* By September 15, one in every 500 Americans had died from COVID-19.

September 18

* On September 18, the U.S. passed 42 million cases.

September 20

* By September 20, COVID-19 had killed over 675,000 Americans, the estimated number of American deaths from the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...

in 1918. As a result, COVID-19 became the deadliest respiratory pandemic in American history.

September 27

* On September 27, the U.S. passed 43 million cases.

October

October 1

* On October 1, the U.S. passed 700,000 deaths.

October 7

* On October 7, the U.S. passed 44 million cases, just nine days after the country surpassed 43 million cases.

October 18

* On October 18, the U.S. passed 45 million cases.

November

November 1

* On November 1, the U.S. passed 46 million cases.

November 13

* On November 13, the U.S. passed 47 million cases.

November 25

* On November 25, the U.S. passed 48 million cases.

November 26

* On November 26, President Biden announced that the U.S. will restrict travel from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and seven other African countries due to concerns over a new variant from the area, called Omicron.

December

December 1

* The first confirmed case of the Omicron variant was detected.

References

External links

Timeline of the Coronavirus Pandemic and U.S. Response
from

Just Security New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in N ...

, a national security forum. {{Portal bar, United States, COVID-19, Medicine, Viruses

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

Coronavirus 2021 in the United States