ISARIC COVID-19 Timeline

2019 – 2021

Global events
ISARIC pandemic response
2019

WHO China informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan, China.

31 Dec
2020

Coronavirus identified as the source of the outbreak in China.

7 jan
13 Jan

ISARIC Global Support Centre (GSC) updates members on the outbreak in Wuhan and highlights its work with member networks and WHO. Encourages the use of standardised data collection.

18 jan

ISARIC members’ Randomised Control Trial of Lopinavir–Ritonavir in China enrols first patient.

24 Jan

Launch of the ISARIC COVID-19 standardised, open access research resources and clinical data platform. Available online for global use.

ISARIC members in China use ISARIC/WHO Case Report Forms to collect data and publish the first clinical description.

28 jan

ISARIC’s COVID-19 clinical research resources downloaded by sites across 26 countries.

WHO declares a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

30 Jan
31 Jan

ISARIC reaffirms its commitment to the principles set out in the 2016 Statement on data sharing in public health emergencies.

ISARIC/WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol for Severe Emerging Infections (CCP-UK), developed by ISARIC members, opens to enrolment in hospitals in the UK.

1 feb

Launch of the COVID-19 Clinical Characterisation Protocol Global (CCP Global), a flexible and adaptable research protocol.

6 feb

ISARIC members’ Randomised Control Trial of Remdesivir in China enrols first patient.

13 feb

First patient data entered on the ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform using ISARIC/WHO Case Report Form.

1 mar

ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform passes the 1,000 patient records mark.

WHO declares a global pandemic.

11 mar
18 mar

ISARIC members in China publish the first trial results on Lopinavir–Ritonavir.

23 mar

ISARIC launches the RAPID Case Report Form, with fewer variables, for use in resources-limited settings.

27 mar

First ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform report published with clinical data on >2K patients.

28 mar

ISARIC members in China use the ISARIC/WHO Case Report Forms to collect data and publish the first study identifying risk factors associated with death.

RECOVERY trial starts recruiting patients.

30 mar
30 mar

ISARIC’s COVID-19 clinical research resources downloaded by sites across 186 countries.

Global COVID-19 cases surpass 1 million.

2 apr
8 apr

ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform passes the 10,000 patient records mark.

29 apr

ISARIC members publish the first trial results for Remdesivir.

18 may

ISARIC launches a set of tools to guide researcher to operationalise the Clinical Characterisation Protocol Global (CCP Global).

22 may

ISARIC4C investigators publish study characterising clinical features of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 during the growth phase of the first wave.

2 Jun

ISARIC clinical research group publishes an article on the importance of global collaboration and harmonised clinical characterisation in COVID-19.

7 jun

ISARIC member network ALERRT adapts the ISARIC CCP to the African context and launches guidance and documents for operationalising the ALERRT COVID-19 CCP.

8 jun

ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform passes the 50,000 patient records mark.

RECOVERY trial reports first life-saving treatment for COVID-19: Dexamethasone reduces death by up to one third in hospitalised patients requiring respiratory support.

16 jun
17 jun

ISARIC4C investigators publish a study on the ethnicity and outcomes among hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

25 jun

ISARIC publishes a systematic review of the challenges of clinical research during a pandemic and presents potential solutions.

6 aug

ISARIC Global Follow-up Protocol registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF), when evidence of prolonged recovery and Long COVID symptoms started emerging from patient groups.

17 aug

ISARIC4C investigators publish the study on the clinical characterisation of children hospitalised with COVID-19.

9 sep

ISARIC4C investigators publish the study on the development and validation of a risk score to predict mortality in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

10 sep

ISARIC Global COVID-19 Paediatric Follow-up working group launched, aiming to assess Long COVID in children.

14 sep

ISARIC launches the Global Long COVID study aiming to study the long term effects of COVID-19.

Global COVID-19 deaths surpass 1 million.

28 sep
4 oct

ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform passes the 100,000 patient records mark.

Global COVID-19 cases surpass 50 million.

9 nov
12 nov

ISARIC member co-authors a study identifying genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19.

26 nov

ISARIC hosts its first virtual evidence forum: How India is identifying best practice in the use of corticosteroids in COVID-19.

First dose of COVID-19 vaccine outside a trial (Pfizer) is administered.

8 dec
9 & 10 dec

ISARIC and GloPID-R co-host the Long-COVID forum, bringing together clinical researchers, healthcare professionals and people living with Long-COVID to identify research gaps.

17 Dec

ISARIC hosts its second virtual evidence forum: Non-Invasive ventilation strategies in COVID-19.

Alpha and Beta variants become variants of concern.

18 dec

First dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine outside a trial is administered.

21 dec
31 dec

>20,000 downloads of ISARIC COVID-19 resources and >105,000 unique visits, from 210 countries, to ISARIC’s website in 2020.

2021

First dose of Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine outside a trial is administered.

4 jan
8 jan

ISARIC member publishes the results of the study of 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital.

Gamma variant becomes variant of concern.

11 Jan
11 jan

ISARIC4C investigators publish the study of the development and validation of the Deterioration model for adults hospitalised with COVID-19.

15 jan

ISARIC member publishes a study characterising the first 250,000 COVID-19 hospital admissions in Brazil.

Global COVID-19 cases surpass 100 million.

27 jan
10 feb

ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform passes the 300,000 patient records mark.

RECOVERY trial finds evidence that Tocilizumab reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19.

12 feb
3 mar

ISARIC4C investigators publish study identifying key inflammatory markers for severe COVID-19.

First dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine outside a trial is administered.

3 mar

Delta variant becomes variant of concern.

11 may
6 jun

ISARIC hosts its third virtual evidence forum: Use of convalescent plasma in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

RECOVERY trial finds evidence that monoclonal antibody therapy reduces deaths for hospitalised COVID-19 patients who have not yet mounted their own immune response.

16 jun
16 jul

ISARIC COVID-19 clinical data platform passes the half million patient records mark.

Global COVID-19 cases surpass 200 million.

5 aug
24 aug

ISARIC launches the COVID-19 clinical data dashboard.

27 sep

ISARIC member publishes a living systematic review aiming to characterise Long COVID.

4 oct

The ISARIC Clinical Characterisation Group publishes an article on the value of research preparedness and global collaboration for an effective pandemic research response.