Dec. 31, 2019 (NBC)
Chinese officials in Wuhan, China, confirm dozens of cases of pneumonia from an unknown cause.
Jan. 9, 2020 (Wiki)
The WHO issues a statement naming the disease as a new coronavirus.
Jan. 21, 2020 (NBC)
The United States announces its first confirmed coronavirus case — a man in Washington state.
Jan. 24, 2020
CCLCM sends its first communication to students that focuses on teaching them basic science about coronaviruses and their transmission.
Feb. 11, 2020
CCLCM establishes policies for the use of sanitzer and wipes in classrooms. CCLCM stocks each room with both.
Feb. 29, 2020 (NBC)
The United States records its first coronavirus death.
March 9, 2020 (Wiki)
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declares a state of emergency after Ohio reports its first cases of COVID-19.
March 10, 2020
CCLCM PBL courses go virtual.
March 13, 2020 (CNN)
President Trump declares a national emergency.
March 16, 2020
CCLCM holds first COVID-19-related virtual Town Hall. All faculty, students and employees are invited to attend. Town Halls continue daily through mid-June, when they begin being held several times a week.
March 16, 2020
CCLCM pulls students from clinical rotations and a virtual clinical curriculum is implemented.
March 17, 2020
Virtual Radiology – Shetal N. Shah, MD, presents “Radiology Head To Toe Capstone,” the first Capstone course to transition to an online format.
March 19, 2020
CCLCM students organize Telemedicine Virtual Exams– telemedicine experiences for other medical students.
March 22, 2020 (Ideastream)
Ohio issues “Stay at home” order.
Spring, 2020
Starting in Spring 2020, the HEC made continuous improvements to air quality including increasing the amount of external air being drawn in, increasing the quality of the filters (up to MERV 13), and sterilizing the air in the ducts using UV light.
March 23, 2020
The Cleveland Clinic Research Registry starts and CCLCM student body submit 40 proposals.
March 25, 2020
CCLCM students create Educational Resources to help train Cleveland Clinic’s frontline caregivers.
March 26, 2020 (AJMC)
Senate passes CARES Act
April 14, 2020 (CNN)
President Trump announces he is halting funding to WHO.
April 15, 2020
A temporary surge hospital, dubbed Hope Hospital, is constructed inside the Samson Pavilion of the Health Education Campus. The hospital holds 327 beds to treat low-acuity COVID-19 patients who are not on ventilators. The temporary hospital can accommodate up to 1,000 patients if needed.
April 29, 2020 (AJMC)
NIH trial shows early promise for Remdesivir.
April 23, 2020 (Wiki)
Ohio Governor DeWine shares additional details on how the state will re-open. Phase one of the re-opening begins on May 1.
May 1, 2020 (Wiki)
In Ohio, a “Stay Healthy and Safe at Home” order replaces the previous stay-at-home order. Starting May 1, medical procedures that do not require an overnight stay in a hospital can proceed.
May 13, 2020
May 19, 2020 (Wiki)
Ohio Governor DeWine announces an “Urgent Health Advisory: Ohioans protecting Ohioans” order.
June 1, 2020
CCLCM students reintegrate into their clinical rotations.
June 8, 2020 (CNN)
New Zealand Prime Minister announces that almost all coronavirus restrictions in New Zealand will be lifted after the country reported no active cases.
June 24, 2020
Dismantling of Hope Hospital begins, thanks to aggressive public health measures in Ohio to contain the pandemic. The space will revert back to the Health Education Campus in time for students to return in the fall, though some hospital infrastructure will remain in the event of a future patient surge.
July 6, 2020
A hybrid of live and virtual orientation for new students begins. Orientation is a one-week affair, culminating in the White Coat Ceremony.
July 12, 2020
This year’s White Coat Ceremony is held outside on Freiberger Field, on the CWRU campus. CCLCM students receive their white Cleveland Clinic coats and stood, six feet apart, with their CWRU University Program classmates to recite the Oath of Professionalism they wrote together.
Summer, 2020
Wellness is integrated into the CCLCM curriculum, and numerous wellness resources are made available to students to encourage wellness.
Fall, 2020
Social Wellness Committee coordinates much-needed wellness activities for students, while following social distancing and masking protocols.
Sept. 25, 2020 (Wiki)
The U.S. passed 7 million COVID-19 cases.
Sept. 28, 2020
Years 1 and 2 in-person Anatomy restarted.
Oct. 2, 2020 (CNN)
President 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. 6, 2020
Physical Diagnosis and Communication Skills training is held in-person, while following social distancing and PPE protocols with use of small groups (using manikins). A new teaching format is also implemented (one preceptor plus manikin plus two students in the room, with two watching from the doorways).
Nov. 11, 2020
Governor DeWine reissues Ohio’s mask order and issues new social gathering order.
Dec. 1, 2020 (CNBC)
The CDC recommends that healthcare personnel and residents in long-term care facilities should be the first groups to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dec. 2, 2020 (New York Times)
The UK becomes the first country to approve emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine co-developed by Pfizer, following its final trial results showing 95% efficacy.
December 2020
A group of third-year students participates in a virtual wellness event that included breakout groups focused on culinary medicine, physical activity, sleep, yoga and mindfulness meditation, each led by a Cleveland Clinic expert. Two of the events are now recurring: mindfulness meditation and culinary medicine. Read more about these events that all CCLCM students have the chance to participate in.
Dec. 18, 2020 (NYT)
The F.D.A. authorizes the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna for emergency use, allowing the shipment of millions more doses across the nation.
Jan. 11, 2021 (Wiki)
On January 11, a confirmed case of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom was reported in Indiana.
Feb. 12, 2021 (AJMC)
The U.S. purchases 200 million Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
March 8, 2021 (AJMC)
The CDC releases guidance about safe activities for those who are fully vaccinated.
March 8-19, 2021
This year’s Capstone activities were held in hybrid fashion because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Most activities were virtual. Only certain skill-building activities required the students to gather in person at the Simulation and Advanced Skills Center, where they and the faculty carefully followed all safety protocols.
March 12, 2021
This year’s Annual CCLCM Research Day was held virtually (the 2020 event had been cancelled because of the pandemic) and featured keynote speaker Harvey Alter, MD, who won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for his contributions toward the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.
March 15, 2021
Bud Isaacson, MD, Christine Moravec, PhD, Craig Nielsen, MD, and Neil Mehta, MBBS, MS, presented at Education Institute Grand Rounds on “COVID-19 and Medical Student Education,” sharing the lessons they learned during the pandemic.
March 18, 2021 (BBC)
The European Union resumes distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine, following an interruption amid safety concerns.
March 19, 2021
Match Day 2021 was held virtually again. Because there was more time to plan for a virtual celebration, each student received a personalized Match envelope and letter with a blank space for the Match information to be filled in by a friend or family member as soon as the Match results were released. Once the Match result was recorded in the letter, the letter could be sealed inside the envelope and then presented to the student so they could experience the tradition of “opening the envelope.”
March 24, 2021
The theme of the sixth Story Slam Medical Student Edition, held virtually because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is “A Night on Identity.” Many of the speakers relate stories and poems influenced by recent events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial/civil unrest in the country. Read more about Story Slam.
March 25, 2021 (AP)
After concerns were raised about the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine, AstraZeneca releases a statement saying that its vaccine is 76%, rather than 79%, effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19.
April 2021
As part of CCLCM’s wellness efforts, each second-year student receives a “survival kit” filled with comfort items as a way to acknowledge their stress as they prepare for the Step 1 Exam. View the photos.
April 6, 2021 (AJMC)
The COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom, B.1.1.7, is now present in all 50 states. Indicated by research as more infectious, health experts expressed concerned that the United States may not be able to administer vaccines fast enough to avoid another surge in cases.
May 11, 2021 (AJMC)
Data show vaccination rates may differ significantly across the country depending on the region. At this point, every state in the Northeast had given at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to at least 60% of its adult residents. Vermont has the highest vaccination rate at 74.5% while Mississippi had the lowest rate with just 41.5% of its population receiving at least 1 dose.
May 15, 2021
The 31 students of this year’s Lerner College of Medicine graduating class gathered in small groups with their respective family, friends and loved ones on Saturday, May 15, for a virtual celebration.
June 15, 2021 (Wiki)
On June 15, the U.S. passed 600,000 deaths.
July 6, 2021
Orientation week begins for the 32 incoming medical students to CCLCM. Unlike last year, this year’s event is held in person with appropriate masking and social distancing.
July 7, 2021 (USA Today)
The death toll across the globe surpasses 4 million, and the delta variant becomes the dominant strain in the U.S.
July 11, 2021
All 216 incoming medical students to Case Western Reserve University, including the 32 CCLCM students, gather at Severance Hall for the time-honored White Coat Ceremony. Read more about the ceremony and view the students’ Oath of Professionalism.
July 21, 2021 (cleveland.com)
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Ohio’s chief medical officer, delivers stark warning to those who haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine, saying they will almost certainly develop an infection from the delta variant.
July 22, 2021 (Newsweek)
Several states in the U.S. that have the highest number of the highly contagious delta variant cases – specifically Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada – report an increase in COVID-19 vaccination rates.
Sept. 8, 2021 (CNN)
Compared to this time last year, the US more than tripled its number of COVID-19 cases, more than doubled its number of hospitalizations and nearly doubled its number of deaths.
Nov. 26, 2021 (CDC)
World Health Organization classifies a new variant, Omicron, as a variant of concern after it was first reported by scientists in South Africa. The variant has several mutations in the spike protein that concern scientists around the world.
Nov. 29, 2021 (CDC)
CDC recommends that everyone 18 years and older who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine receive a COVID-19 booster shot six months after they are fully vaccinated.
Dec. 1, 2021 (CDC)
The California and San Francisco departments of public health confirm that a recent case of COVID-19 in a person in California was caused by the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529).
Dec. 27, 2021 (CNN)
The CDC shortens the recommended times that people should isolate after they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, from 10 days to five days if they don’t have symptoms and if they mask around others for at least five more days. The CDC shortens the recommended quarantine time to five days for those who are vaccinated and exposed to the virus.
Dec. 30, 2021 (Cleveland.com)
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine arranges for an additional 1,250 members of Ohio National Guard to help Ohio hospitals, including Cleveland Clinic, cope with the influx of COVID-19 patients.
Jan. 3-14, 2022
All CCLCM M1/M2 activities except Longitudinal Clinic are held remotely during this time.
Jan. 12, 2022
CCLCM and Case Western Reserve University convert vending machines so that they dispense COVID-19 tests for students and staff.
Jan. 17, 2022
Resumption of select in-person curricular activities depends on student surveillance testing from the first two weeks of January. Students may attend classes in person as long as they have a negative test from the prior week and are symptom-free.
Jan. 17, 2022
Members of the U.S. Air Force medical team including nurses, doctors and respiratory specialists arrive at Cleveland Clinic this week to help with patient care support in med-surgical units, intensive care units and the emergency department.
CCLCM Responds to COVID-19 