It's been one year since COVID-19 was first detected in the United States. Here's a list of several key dates and events relating to the pandemic since then: Jan. 20, 2020The National Institutes of Health announces that it is working on a vaccine against the coronavirus."The NIH is in the process of taking the first steps towards the development of a vaccine," says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Jan. 21, 2020The first travel-related COVID-19 case is detected in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Jan. 29, 2020The White House announces the formation of a new task force that will help monitor and contain the spread of the virus, and ensure Americans have accurate and up-to-date health and travel information, it says.Jan. 30, 2020The United States reports its first confirmed case of person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus. On the same day, WHO determines that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).Jan. 31, 2020The Trump administration announces it will deny entry to foreign nationals who have traveled in China in the last 14 days. Feb. 3, 2020The Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, said its members have suspended all crew movements from mainland China.Feb. 6, 2020First COVID-19 death in the United States: A person in California's Santa Clara County dies of coronavirus, but the link is not confirmed until April 21.Feb. 8, 2020The U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirms that a 60-year-old U.S. national died in Wuhan on Feb. 6, marking the first confirmed death of a foreigner. Feb. 10, 2020The Anthem of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, sets sail from Bayonne, New Jersey, after a coronavirus scare had kept it docked and its passengers waiting for days.Feb. 11, 2020WHO names the coronavirus COVID-19.Feb. 17, 2020A second person in California's Santa Clara County dies of coronavirus, but the link is not confirmed until April 21. Feb. 21, 2020The CDC changes criteria for counting confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the United States and begins tracking two separate and distinct groups: those repatriated by the U.S. Department of State and those identified by the U.S. public health network.Feb. 25, 2020The NIH announces that a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the antiviral drug remdesivir in adults diagnosed with coronavirus has started at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The first participant is an American who was evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan.Also, CDC officials issue an elevated warning about the spread of coronavirus and the inevitable spread through community transmission.Feb. 26, 2020CDC officials say that a California patient being treated for novel coronavirus is the first U.S. case of unknown origin. The patient, who didn't have any relevant travel history nor exposure to another known patient, is the first possible U.S. case of "community spread." Also, President Donald Trump places Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the U.S. government response to the novel coronavirus, amid growing criticism of the White House's handling of the outbreak.Feb. 29, 2020A patient dies of coronavirus in Washington state. For almost two months, this is considered the first death due to the virus in the United States, until autopsy results announced April 21 reveal two earlier deaths in California.March 3, 2020The Federal Reserve slashes interest rates by half a percentage point in an attempt to give the U.S. economy a jolt in the face of concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. It is the first unscheduled, emergency rate cut since 2008, and it also marks the biggest one-time cut since then. March 11, 2020The World Health Organization declares COVID-19 to be a global pandemic.Related video from March 2020: What coronavirus pandemic declaration meansMarch 12, 2020NBA suspends its season after a player tests positive for COVID-19. The NHL also postpones season and Broadway shows in New York City are canceled due to the pandemic. March 13, 2020 President Trump declares COVID-19 a national emergency, freeing up $50 billion in federal resources to combat coronavirus.March 16, 2020Disney announces closure of all hotels and resorts in Central Florida as well as its retail stores nationwide.March 18, 2020Trump signs into law a coronavirus relief package that includes provisions for free testing for COVID-19 and paid emergency leave.March 24, 2020Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach agree to postpone the Olympics until 2021 amid the outbreak.March 25, 2020The White House and Senate leaders reach an agreement on a $2 trillion stimulus deal to offset the economic damage of coronavirus, producing one of the most expensive and far-reaching measures in the history of Congress.Also, Defense Secretary Mark Esper signs an order freezing the movements of all U.S. troops overseas for 60 days due to the coronavirus outbreak.March 27, 2020Trump signs the stimulus package into law.April 2, 2020According to the Department of Labor, 6.6 million U.S. workers file for their first week of unemployment benefits in the week ending March 28, the highest number of initial claims in history. Globally, the total number of coronavirus cases surpasses 1 million, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.April 3, 2020Trump says his administration is now recommending Americans wear "non-medical cloth" face coverings, a reversal of previous guidance that suggested masks were unnecessary for people who weren't sick. April 14, 2020Trump announces he is halting funding to WHO while a review is conducted, saying the review will cover WHO's "role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus." April 21, 2020California's Santa Clara County announces autopsy results that show two Californians died of novel coronavirus in early and mid-February — up to three weeks before the previously known first U.S. death from the virus.April 28, 2020The U.S. passes one million confirmed cases of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins.PGlmcmFtZSB0aXRsZT0iTmV3IGRhaWx5IENPVklELTE5IGNhc2VzIiBhcmlhLWxhYmVsPSJNYXAiIGlkPSJkYXRhd3JhcHBlci1jaGFydC1Pdzc0dCIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL2ludGVyYWN0aXZlcy5hcC5vcmcvZW1iZWRzL093NzR0LzIyLyIgc2Nyb2xsaW5nPSJubyIgd2lkdGg9IjEwMCUiIHN0eWxlPSJib3JkZXI6bm9uZSIgaGVpZ2h0PSI1MzEiPjwvaWZyYW1lPjxzY3JpcHQgdHlwZT0idGV4dC9qYXZhc2NyaXB0Ij4hZnVuY3Rpb24oKXsidXNlIHN0cmljdCI7d2luZG93LmFkZEV2ZW50TGlzdGVuZXIoIm1lc3NhZ2UiLChmdW5jdGlvbihhKXtpZih2b2lkIDAhPT1hLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgZSBpbiBhLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKXt2YXIgdD1kb2N1bWVudC5nZXRFbGVtZW50QnlJZCgiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItY2hhcnQtIitlKXx8ZG9jdW1lbnQucXVlcnlTZWxlY3RvcigiaWZyYW1lW3NyYyo9JyIrZSsiJ10iKTt0JiYodC5zdHlsZS5oZWlnaHQ9YS5kYXRhWyJkYXRhd3JhcHBlci1oZWlnaHQiXVtlXSsicHgiKX19KSl9KCk7PC9zY3JpcHQ+May 1, 2020The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issues an emergency-use authorization for remdesivir in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn says remdesivir is the first authorized therapy drug for COVID-19.May 11, 2020Trump and his administration announce that the federal government is sending $11 billion to states to expand coronavirus testing capabilities. The relief package signed on April 24 includes $25 billion for testing, with $11 billion for states, localities, territories and tribes.May 27, 2020Data collected by Johns Hopkins University reports that the coronavirus has killed more than 100,000 people across the U.S., meaning that an average of almost 900 Americans died each day since the first known coronavirus-related death was reported nearly four months earlier. June 15, 2020U.S. regulators revoke emergency authorization for malaria drugs promoted by President Trump for treating COVID-19 amid growing evidence they don’t work and could cause deadly side effects.The Food and Drug Administration said in June that the drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are unlikely to be effective in treating the coronavirus.June 20, 2020The NIH announces that it has halted a clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus."A data and safety monitoring board met late Friday and determined that while there was no harm, the study drug was very unlikely to be beneficial to hospitalized patients with COVID-19," the NIH says in a statement.July 7, 2020The Trump administration notifies Congress and the UN that the U.S. is formally withdrawing from World Health Organization. The withdrawal goes into effect on July 6, 2021. July 11, 2020Disney begins reopening theme parks with COVID-19 protocols in place.“The Most Magical Place on Earth” had been closed for nearly four months due to the pandemic.July 23, 2020MLB begins its abbreviated 60-game season.Aug. 23, 2020The FDA issues an emergency use authorization for the use of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19. It is made using the blood of people who have recovered from coronavirus infections.Sept. 28, 2020The pandemic's confirmed death toll eclipses 1 million worldwide, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.Oct. 2, 2020President Trump announces that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19. He spends three nights at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center receiving treatment before returning to the White House.Oct. 12, 2020Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson announces it has paused the advanced clinical trial of its experimental coronavirus vaccine because of an unexplained illness in one of the volunteers."Following our guidelines, the participant's illness is being reviewed and evaluated by the ENSEMBLE independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) as well as our internal clinical and safety physicians," the company said in a statement. ENSEMBLE is the name of the study. Dec. 10, 2020Vaccine advisers to the FDA vote to recommend the agency grant emergency use authorization to Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine.Dec. 14, 2020U.S. officials announce the first doses of the FDA authorized Pfizer vaccine have been delivered to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.Meanwhile, the U.S. reaches 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins dataDec. 18, 2020The FDA authorizes a second coronavirus vaccine made by Moderna for emergency use. "The emergency use authorization allows the vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years and older," the FDA said in a tweet. Dec. 29, 2020The first U.S. case of the more contagious COVID-19 variant first discovered in the U.K. is detected in Colorado.Dec. 31, 2020U.S. reaches 20 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins data.