Now that a lot of us have been snacking in place for more than a month, it’s easy to lose track of where one stands—or sits, more likely—in the space-time continuum.
Groundhog Day jokes aside, it can be impossible to recall what you were doing at this time last week, let alone what was happening in headlines a month ago.
We’ll deal with being whole chunks of the calendar into this nightmare when the time comes, but for now we thought it could be helpful to compare where we are now with where we were on March 15.
That was nearly a week before the first Mass resident, an octogenarian veteran from Winthrop, was declared the first coronavirus-related death in the state. To put it mildly, a lot has changed.
STATISTICS
Confirmed cases of novel coronavirus globally (March 15): (more than) 153,517
Confirmed cases of novel coronavirus globally (April 15): (approx.) 1,848,439
Coronavirus-related deaths globally (March 15): (more than) 5,800 deaths
Coronavirus-related deaths globally (April 15): (approx.) 117,217
Number of states and territories (March 15): 49 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico
Number of states and territories (April 15): 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico
Confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the US (March 15): (at least) 3,244
Confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the US (April 15): (approx.) 553,822
Coronavirus-related deaths in the US (March 15): (at least) 61
Coronavirus-related deaths in the US (April 15): (approx.) 21,972
Confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Massachusetts (March 15): (approx.) 164
Confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Massachusetts (April 15): (approx.) 28,163
Coronavirus-related deaths in Massachusetts (March15): 0
Coronavirus-related deaths in Massachusetts (April 15): 957
All data via World Health Organization, Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, ABC News.
HEADLINES
Boston Herald (March 15): “Nearly 800 people in Massachusetts have been tested for coronavirus”
Boston Herald (April 15): “Coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts spike to 113, the most in one day”
Boston Globe (March 15): “City of Boston to launch coronavirus fund to help families in need”
Boston Globe (April 15): “Harvard researchers say some distancing may be needed into 2022, unless vaccines or more effective treatment are developed”
CNN (March 15): More coronavirus cases outside of mainland China than inside the country where pandemic began
CNN (April 15): “Trump halts funding for World Health Organization”
Commonwealth (March 15): “Casinos closing; 1st Cape case, immigration changes”
Commonwealth (April 15): “Nursing home leader warns of death and devastation”
DigBoston (March 15): “Word on the street is ‘Go Home’”
DigBoston (April 15): “Mass cannabis advocates ask for AG’s help to reopen dispensaries”
LEADERSHIP
President Donald Trump (March 15): “I think we have some great things to talk about. I’ll start by discussing the Federal Reserve. … they’ve lowered the Fed rate from what it was, which was 1 to 1.25. … I think that people in the market should be very thrilled. And that brings us — we’re the strongest country in the world, by far, financially and every other way. … You will not hear anything bad about me unless it’s about a month or two from now.”
President Donald Trump (April 14): “The decision of other major countries to keep travel open was one of the great tragedies and missed opportunities from the early days. The WHO’s attack on travel restrictions put political correctness above lifesaving measures. Travel bans work for the same reason that quarantines work. Pandemics depend on human-to-human transmission. Border control is fundamental to virus control.”
Governor Charlie Baker (March 15): “[This gathering ban includes] all community, civic, public, leisure, faith-based events, sporting events with spectators, concerts, conventions and any similar event or activity that brings together 25 or more people in a single room or a single space at the same time. This includes venues like fitness centers, private clubs and theaters.”
Governor Charlie Baker (April 14): “Our data is showing we have some very difficult days and weeks ahead. We’re planning for the worst case scenario.”
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
