Tracking Emerging Public Health Challenges – January 21, 2026 – COVID
“Today in history: On Jan. 21, 2020, the U.S. reported its first known case of the 2019 novel coronavirus circulating in China, saying a Washington state resident who had returned the previous week from the outbreak’s epicenter was hospitalized near Seattle.” (1)
“From October 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate there were as many as 550,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations and as many as 64,000 deaths.” (2)
CORONAVIRUS TRACKING. Links to post 1-269, https://doctordidyouwashyourhands.com/2022/08/coronavirus-tracking-links-to-posts-1-269/
PART 1. January 21, 2020. CORONAVIRUS. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday confirmed the first U.S. case of a deadly new coronavirus that has killed six people in China.” (3)
PART 2. January 29, 2020. CORONAVIRUS. “If it’s not contained shortly, I think we are looking at a pandemic..”….. “With isolated cases of the dangerous new coronavirus cropping up in a number of states, public health officials say it is only a matter of time before the virus appears in New York City.” (4)
POST 268. August 23, 2022. PANDEMICS. “The Covid-19 pandemic has been a lesson in speed — the speed at which a novel virus among humans can spread, the speed at which it can rack up fatalities and cripple economies, the speed at which vaccines can be designed and produced, the speed at which misinformation can undermine public health. Amid all that rapidity is a different kind of speed, which drives the rest, like an engine spinning the cars on a nauseating carnival ride: the speed of viral evolution…” (5)
POST 269. August 31, 2022. “Everyone Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth.” (Mike Tyson). Are we in a slow retreat to herd immunity? (6)
1.Today in History: January 21, first US case of COVID-19 confirmed., https://www.wfmz.com/news/ap/ap-this-day-in-history/today-in-history-january-21-first-us-case-of-covid-19-confirmed/article_99f3eeda-b8da-5a46-a426-ce6dfb5ebfd4.html#:~:text=Today%20in%20History%3A%20January%2021%2C%20first%20US%20case%20of%20COVID%2D19%20confirmed
2.Health Systems Must Remain Vigilant for COVID-19 Cases, https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/cmo/health-systems-must-remain-vigilant-covid-19-cases
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-metsch-526290199
jonathanmetsch@gmail.com