Seite - 3 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

3Introduction Organization (WHO) tweeted on January 4, 2020, that it was investi- gating a cluster of pneumonia-like cases in China.5 A week later, the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus was shared publicly.6 Then, on January 13, Thailand reported the first case outside of China. On January 30, amid thousands of new cases in China, and infections spreading across countries, the WHO declared a “public health emer- gency of international concern,” as required by International Health Regulations.7 By January 31, Italy was reporting its first cases as being two Chinese tourists who travelled to Rome from Wuhan and fell ill.8 Italy was the first European country to report cases and its subsequent experience—hospitals filled beyond capacity, and a mounting death toll—was a cautionary tale for other countries. At the beginning of February, reports emerged of an outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship—then the largest cluster of cases— more than 200—outside of China.9 By the third week of February, Iran reported a large outbreak; as an international travel hub, this raised further alarm among public health experts.10 As lockdowns were initiated across Latin America and Europe, infections spiked in all jurisdictions, followed soon after by a nation- wide lockdown for India’s 1.3 billion inhabitants. The WHO described the spread of the novel coronavirus as a “pandemic” on March 11. On March 26, the United States earned the unenviable distinction of lead- ing the world in confirmed infections and deaths. Soon after, despite 5. “WHO Timeline—COVID-19” (27 April 2020), online: World  Health  Organization <https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline---CO- VID-19>; Hilary Brueck, “The WHO Made a Thinly Veiled Dig at Sweden’s Loose Coronavirus Lockdown, Saying ‘Humans Are Not Herds’ and Old People are Not Disposable”, Business Insider (11 May 2020), online: <https:// www.businessinsider.com/herd-immunity-few-people-have-had-the- coronavirus-who-2020-5?fbclid=IwAR3ZcQ_3F7vdWCB-lDshXHzEifBobek_ AFRgKI5JenRXfQQqWixw-W5d7I4>. 6. “Novel Coronavirus—China” (12 January 2020), online: World  Health  Organization <https://www.who.int/csr/don/12-january-2020-novel-coronavirus-china/en/>. 7. Derrick Bryson Taylor, “How the Coronavirus Pandemic Unfolded: A Timeline”, The New York Times (12 May 2020), online: <https://www.nytimes.com/article/ coronavirus-timeline.html>. 8. Iris Bosa, “Italy’s Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic” (16 April 2020), online (blog): Cambridge  Core  -  Health  Economics,  Policy  and  Law  (HEPL)  Blog  Series <https:// www.cambridge.org/core/blog/2020/04/16/italys-response-to-the-coronavirus- pandemic/>. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid.