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COVID-19 pandemic in the United States facts for kids

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COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
COVID-19 outbreak USA per capita cases map.svg
Confirmed cases per million residents by state.
Disease COVID-19
Virus strain SARS-CoV-2
Location United States
First case Chicago, Illinois (earliest known arrival)
Everett, Washington (first case report)
Arrival date January 13, 2020
(5 years, 5 months, 1 week and 5 days ago)
Origin Wuhan, Hubei, China
Confirmed cases
  • 6,310,663 (CDC)
  • 6,359,720 (JHU)
  • 6,329,405 (CTP)
Recovered 2,387,479 (JHU)
Deaths
  • 189,147 (CDC)
  • 190,815 (JHU)
  • 182,779 (CTP)

The COVID-19 pandemic started spreading in the United States in January 2020. The first time the virus was known to spread from person to person within the U.S. was in January in Chicago. The first deaths from COVID-19 happened in February.

By the end of March 2020, every one of the 50 U.S. states, plus District of Columbia, and almost all U.S. territories had cases of COVID-19. Only American Samoa did not have cases at that time.

How COVID-19 Affected the U.S.

As of May 13, 2020, the United States had the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the world. The death rate was about 206 people per million residents. This was the tenth-highest rate globally.

Early Warnings About the Virus

On February 25, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told the American public to get ready for the virus to spread locally. This was the first time they issued such a warning.

When the U.S. Declared an Emergency

A national emergency was officially announced on March 13, 2020. This allowed the government to use special powers and money to fight the virus.

In early March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started letting public health groups and private companies create and use COVID-19 tests. The government began buying large amounts of medical supplies in mid-March.

On March 16, the White House suggested that people avoid gatherings of more than ten people. Since March 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of State has told all U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to other countries.

Images for kids

  • Map of cumulative COVID-19 death rates by US state

    Map showing how many people died from COVID-19 in each U.S. state.

  • The Anthem COVID-19 marquee

    A sign at a music venue in Washington, D.C., showing it was closed due to COVID-19.

  • President Trump and the Vice President meet with Airline CEOs about the Coronavirus (49618513938)

    President Trump and airline leaders talking about how COVID-19 affected air travel on March 4, 2020.

  • US map. Percent of total population of all ages by state or territory who received all doses prescribed by the initial COVID-19 vaccination protocol

    A map showing the percentage of people who received all their COVID-19 vaccine doses in each U.S. state or territory.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Pandemia de COVID-19 en los Estados Unidos para niños

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