(CNN) -- Here’s some information about the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus, called COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, originated in China and is the cousin of the SARS virus.
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals. The viruses can make people sick, usually with a mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illness, similar to a common cold. Coronavirus symptoms include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, possibly a headache and maybe a fever, which can last for a couple of days.
Coronavirus case confirmed in San Antonio, CDC says
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Case Tracking
Timeline
December 31, 2019 - Cases of pneumonia detected in Wuhan, China, are first reported to the WHO. During this reported period, the virus is unknown. The cases occur between December 12 and December 29, according to Wuhan Municipal Health.
January 1, 2020 - Chinese health authorities close the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market after it is discovered that wild animals sold there may be the source of the virus.
January 5, 2020 - China announces that the unknown pneumonia cases in Wuhan are not SARS or MERS. In a statement, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission says a retrospective probe into the outbreak has been initiated.
January 7, 2020 - Chinese authorities confirm that they have identified the virus as a novel coronavirus, initially named 2019-nCoV by the WHO.
January 11, 2020 - The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission announces the first death caused by the coronavirus. A 61-year-old man, exposed to the virus at the seafood market, died on January 9 after respiratory failure caused by severe pneumonia.
January 13, 2020 - Thai authorities report a case of infection caused by the coronavirus. The infected individual is a Chinese national who had arrived from Wuhan.
January 16, 2020 - Japanese authorities confirm that a Japanese man who traveled to Wuhan is infected with the virus.
January 17, 2020 - Chinese health officials confirm that a second person has died in China. The US responds to the outbreak by implementing screenings for symptoms at airports in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.
January 20, 2020 - China reports 139 new cases of the sickness, including a third death.
January 20, 2020 - The 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.
January 21, 2020 - Officials in Washington state confirm the first case on US soil.
January 22, 2020 - Wuhan says it will "temporarily" close its airport and railway stations for departing passengers following news that the death toll from the Wuhan Coronavirus has risen to 17. Chinese authorities confirm at least 547 cases in the mainland.
January 23, 2020 - At an emergency committee convened by the World Health Organization, the WHO says that the Wuhan coronavirus does not yet constitute a public health emergency of international concern.
January 23, 2020 - The Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau cancels all large-scale Lunar New Year celebrations in an effort to contain the growing spread of Wuhan coronavirus.
January 26, 2020 - The China Association of Travel Services reports that all tours, including international ones, will be suspended.
January 28, 2020 - Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom in Beijing. At the meeting, Xi and the WHO agree to send a team of international experts, including US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff, to China to investigate the coronavirus outbreak.
January 29, 2020 - The 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 said.
January 30, 2020 - The US reports its first confirmed case of person-to-person transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus.
January 31, 2020 - The Donald Trump administration announces it will deny entry to foreign nationals who have traveled in China in the last 14 days.
February 2, 2020 - A man in the Philippines dies from the Wuhan coronavirus -- the first time a death has been reported outside mainland China since the outbreak began.
February 3, 2020 - China's Foreign Ministry accuses the US government of inappropriately reacting to the outbreak and spreading fear by enforcing travel restrictions.
February 4, 2020 - The Japanese Health Ministry announces that ten people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship moored in Yokohama Bay are confirmed to have the coronavirus. The ship, which is carrying more than 3,700 people, is placed under quarantine scheduled to end on February 19.
February 7, 2020 - Li Wenliang, a Wuhan doctor who was targeted by police for trying to sound the alarm on a "SARS-like" virus in December, dies of the coronavirus. Following news of Li's death, the topics "Wuhan government owes Dr. Li Wenliang an apology," and "We want freedom of speech," trend on China's Twitter-like platform, Weibo, before disappearing from the heavily censored platform.
February 8, 2020 - The US Embassy in Beijing confirms that a 60-year-old US national died in Wuhan on February 6, marking the first confirmed death of a foreigner.
February 10, 2020 - Xi inspects efforts to contain the Wuhan coronavirus in Beijing, the first time he has appeared on the front lines of the fight against the outbreak. On the same day, a team of international experts from WHO arrives in China to assist with containing the coronavirus outbreak.
February 10, 2020 - The 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.
February 11, 2020 - The WHO names the coronavirus COVID-19.