- [Narrator] In mid-January, a hospital
in Everett, Washington announced a patient
had tested positive for a deadly new strain of coronavirus.
The cause of the yet-to-be named disease, COVID-19.
It was the first reported case in the United States.
Concerning but still a relatively small threat compared
to the growing outbreak in China.
But fast forward six months,
and the United States
has the most recorded coronavirus cases
in the world.
So how did it spread in the United States?
Looking back, public health experts
have pointed to a series of missteps
and miscalculations in the US response.
A response that has been polarizing and painful.
And launched the country into a deadly game of catch-up
with a pandemic that has yet to subside.
The first major action the United States takes
against coronavirus is to restrict travelers
coming from China.
The first case in Everett, Washington
and a second case in Chicago both were from travelers
who had recently returned
from the Chinese province at the heart of the outbreak.
But the virus was also circulating
in Europe around this time.
A second front of infiltration
that will go overlooked for several weeks.
In early February, US efforts center
on how to safely screen
and repatriate Americans returning from Asia
but those quarantined
on the Diamond Princess cruise liner in Japan.
This outbreak is the largest outside of mainland China
and shows how rapidly the virus
can spread if left unchecked.
Public health experts say that a widespread deployment
of testing in the US is essential for containment
but test kits sent by the CDC to public health labs
across the country prove to be faulty
and the labs are told they shouldn't use them.
The FDA bars independent labs
from using tests they've developed themselves
and health officials say the public
should not wear masks.
As the virus silently spreads across the country,
experts warn of a testing bottleneck
that can't keep up with demand,
despite the president's reassurances.
- Anybody that wants a test can get a test.
That's what the bottom line is.
- [Narrator] As the CDC expands the criteria
for who can be tested,
infection hotspots appear across the country.
One emerges in New Rochelle, New York.
The National Guard is deployed
to establish a one-square-mile quarantine zone
within the New York City suburb.
But by that point, patients and their family members
had already traveled to several locations
throughout the metro area,
including a synagogue and a school.
The nation's top infectious disease expert tells Congress
the country's testing strategy isn't working.
- The system is not really geared
to what we need right now, what you are asking for.
That is a failing.
- [Narrator] In mid-March, the coronavirus outbreak
is declared a national emergency
as the country comes to grips with the fact
that the lack of testing
has made containment more difficult.
Shortly after, six Bay area counties enact
the first stay-at-home orders in the country,
closing all non-essential businesses.
The entire State of California soon follows,
preceding a cascade of 42 state closures
over the next three weeks.
After initially saying people shouldn't wear masks,
the CDC reverses course in early April,
recommending they be worn in public,
guidance that is highly politicized
as Americans become split on severity of the outbreak.
The perils of the virus are on full display
at the outbreak's epicenter in New York City.
ICUs are overwhelmed
as officials try to rapidly increase hospital capacity
to treat patients
and confront the mounting number of deaths.
- I'm tired of walking into rooms
and your patient's dead.
You just walk into a room,
and there's a dead body there.
I'm tired of calling families
and telling them that news.
- [Narrator] In less hard-hit areas,
Americans protest stay-at-home orders,
often without masks
to compel governors to reopen their economies.
By the end of May, economic pressures
have driven every state to ease lockdowns,
despite health experts saying
only three states meet reopening guidelines set
by the Trump administration.
These guidelines call for extensive testing
and contact tracing
but states have a tough time implementing these measures
for a few reasons.
First, testing still isn't widely available
when analysis in late May concludes
that 53% of US counties don't have a testing site,
and this lack
of testing disproportionately impacts minority communities.
Second, reopening states don't have the resources
to trace infections.
A recent analysis finds that Florida's Department of Health
needs 33,000 contact tracers.
The state currently has just over 2,300.
Officials warn that bars, restaurants
and summer gatherings are ground zero for infections
as asymptomatic young people drive a surge
in new cases.
Protestors demonstrate against police violence
in institutionalized racism
as the virus continues
to disproportionately affect minority communities.
And by the end of June,
the epicenter of the outbreak shifts
to the south and west
as cases spike in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California,
and forces some states to roll back
or slow down reopenings.
- We are now having 40 plus thousand new cases a day.
I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day
if this does not turn around
and so I am very concerned.
- [Narrator] By mid-July, 13 states see new infections rise
by over 20% compared to the previous week.
And Florida sets a new single-day record
for over 15,000 new cases
as the country debates whether schools should reopen
in the fall.
The coronavirus outbreak in the United States
has proven difficult to manage
and so it's difficult to predict what will happen next
but public health experts say learning
from the costly mistakes of the past six months
may be crucial in plotting a path forward.