Virus Outbreak-Milestones, ADVISORY
Two big milestones in the coronavirus pandemic are fast approaching — 200,000 confirmed deaths in the U.S. and at least a million worldwide. The true number of deaths is hard to know, and could be much higher. But crossing these thresholds serves as a grim reminder of the incredible toll of COVID-19.
To mark these sobering milestones, which likely will occur before the end of September, AP journalists will reexamine the virus through many lenses — the deaths, the pandemic's global impact, the intersection of science and politics and what we’ve learned about treatment so far.
The AP plans the following all-formats coverage. Please note that VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-PHOTO GALLERY has been rescheduled for Sept. 25. The timing of some items might continue to be adjusted depending on when global milestone occurs, based on Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus data.
For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org
SUNDAY, SEPT. 20
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-POLITICS-ANALYSIS: In a deeply divided America, even death is a political litmus test. To Joe Biden and Democrats, crossing 200,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths is a reminder of the Trump administration’s inaction and indifference to the pandemic. To President Donald Trump and his supporters, it’s a reminder that the toll could have been much worse. By AP Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
MONDAY, SEPT. 21
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-FAMILIES: In a year full of sorrowful statistics, the U.S. records one more: 200,000 dead of the coronavirus. They were loyal partners, illuminating scholars, crowd-pleasing chefs, pillars of business. And many were something more: parents. For the children left behind, life is forever changed. And for grandparents, surviving parents and others now stepping in, it is a balancing act of new responsibility while mourning the dead. By Matt Sedensky. SENT: 1,200 words, photos, video.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 22
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-200,000 DEAD: Seven months after the first COVID-19 fatality was recorded in the U.S., the nation is passing the milestone of 200,000 confirmed deaths — a staggering total that seemed impossible earlier in the year. By Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-POLITICS: As America’s public health community battles a virulent pandemic, they’ve also had to reckon with something that has traditionally been well outside their realm: politics. The Trump administration has mixed public health in with politics over the past six months in ways that critics fear could undermine the credibility of any treatment or vaccine. By Jason Dearen. SENT: 1,900 words, photos. Abridged version of 970 words also available.
FRIDAY, SEPT 25
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-PHOTO GALLERY: A global look at the impact from 1 million COVID deaths in photos spanning the past 6 months, including fresh images captured as the milestone approached. UPCOMING: Photo gallery with accompanying text introduction.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 27
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-THE SPREAD: Like so many things in the world, it started small. It began to move around, and the map evolved. Month by month, week by week, sometimes day by day, the coronavirus spread and the world changed with it. How did something so contained upend the routines and activities of huge swaths of human civilization? By National Writer Ted Anthony. UPCOMING: Text, photos and an interactive presentation showing the spread of infections around the globe.
MONDAY, SEPT. 28
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-ONE MILLION DEATHS: Joginder Chaudhary was raised with the little his parents earned on their one-acre farm in central India to become the only doctor from his village. For the coronavirus, though, he was just one more victim in a million. When his mother surrendered to the virus weeks later, in mid-August, she was but another. Now, with the virus spreading fast across India and continuing to claim thousands of lives in the United States, Brazil and beyond, the pandemic has reached a woeful milestone, its global toll topping 1 million. It is a grim but historic watershed, confirming the pandemic’s sweeping impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the world. By Adam Geller and Rishabh R. Jain. UPCOMING: Text and photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-SURVIVING COVID: The million people who have lost their lives to COVID-19 also have given the world some gifts: a better understanding of how to treat the disease, and ways to prevent it that could help keep millions more from dying in the future. By Marilynn Marchione. UPCOMING: Text, photos and video.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 29
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILESTONES-CUBAN DOCTORS’ DEATH: Almost 55 years ago, Dr. Jorge Vallejo told his colleagues at a Havana hospital that he needed to rush home to see one of his toddler sons who had a fever. He lied. In reality, he went home that night to pack some clothes, get his wife and two boys and board a torpedo boat named “La Gaviota.” Before the sun rose the next day, the Vallejos and other Cuban refugees had sailed across the Florida Straits and braved a storm that left them stranded at sea. Vallejo and one of his sons, also a doctor, have died from the coronavirus. By Adriana Gomez. UPCOMING: Text, photos.
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AP plans continuing spot coverage of the pandemic as these milestones pass. Please monitor Coverage Plan for updates.