This authoritative work provides a thorough overview of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the globe in 2020, devoting particular attention to its impact on all aspects of American society.

The 21st Century Turning Points series is a one-stop resource for understanding the people and events changing America today. Each volume provides readers with a clear, authoritative, and unbiased understanding of a single issue or event that is driving national debate about our nation’s leaders, institutions, values, and priorities.

This particular volume is devoted to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted social, economic, and political institutions across the globe in 2020. It documents the spread of the virus around the world and the mounting toll it took on the health and lives of people in the United States and elsewhere; surveys the response to the pandemic (both in statements and policies) by the Trump administration, state governments, and various scientific and public health organizations; explains the impact of the pandemic on U.S. schools, businesses, industries, and workers; shows why communities of color and poor Americans were disproportionately impacted; and studies the ways in which COVID-19 has changed the U.S. forever.

• Entries devoted to specific events and milestones in the spread of COVID-19
• Biographical profiles of important government leaders and public health officials who shaped and directed the U.S. response to the pandemic
• Essays that explore the lasting impact of COVID-19 on American schools, businesses, families, communities, and political attitudes
• Annotated bibliography of sources for further study