COVID-19 pandemic in North America

The first cases of the COVID-19 pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 in North America were reported in the United States in January 2020. Cases were reported in all North American countries after Saint Kitts and Nevis confirmed a case on 25 March, and in all North American territories after Bonaire confirmed a case on 16 April.

On 26 March 2020, the U.S. became the country with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 infections, with over 82,000 cases. On 11 April 2020, the U.S. became the country with the highest official death toll for COVID-19, with over 20,000 deaths. As of 21 November 2020 the total cases of COVID-19 are over 13,942,964 with over 383,084 total deaths.

Canada reported 117,658 cases and 3,842 deaths on 30 July, while Mexico reported 416,179 cases and 46,000 deaths. The most cases by state is Texas with about 17,279 deaths and over 849,000 confirmed cases.

Confirmed cases
Counting of cases are subject to the number of tested people.

Antigua and Barbuda
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Antigua and Barbuda on 13 March 2020.

The Bahamas
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the Bahamas on 15 March 2020 with the announcement of the first case.

Barbados
Barbados announced its first two confirmed cases on 17 March and declared a public health emergency on 26 March.

Belize
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Belize on 23 March 2020.

Anguilla
The first two cases of the virus were confirmed on 26 March. On 26 April 2020, all patients recovered.

Bermuda
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda on 18 March 2020.

Cayman Islands
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands on 12 March 2020.

Montserrat
The territory's first case was confirmed on 17 March. Schools have been closed and public gatherings banned as a precautionary measure. By 15 May, all cases had fully recovered. On 10 July, a 12th case was discovered.

Turks and Caicos Islands
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands on 23 March 2020. On 12 May, the last two cases recovered. There are currently no active cases, because one person left the country. On 20 June, a new case was discovered.

British Virgin Islands
On 25 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed.

Canada
The first case of the COVID-19 in Canada was confirmed on January 25, 2020, when a man returned to Toronto from travelling in Wuhan, China, and two days later, tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, caused by SARS-CoV-2. , there have been 198 cases of coronavirus reported in Canada with 1 death in 7 provinces. 2 cases have been reported of the passengers who travelled on the cruise ship Grand Princess: Ontario (79 cases), British Columbia (64 cases, 1 death), Alberta (29 cases), Quebec (20 cases), Manitoba (4 cases), Saskatchewan (2 cases), New Brunswick (1 case) and Grand Princess (2 cases). Almost all cases had recent travel history to a country with a substantial number of coronavirus cases. Of these cases, eleven (six in BC, five in Ontario) have recovered.

As of March 11, 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada has evaluated the public health risk of the pandemic as being "low for the general population", but of a higher risk for those over the age of 65, or with underlying conditions. On March 13, 2020, the Government of Canada issued a formal travel advisory against any non-essential travel outside of the country until further notice.

Costa Rica
On 6 March, the first case in Costa Rica was confirmed, which was also the first such case in Central America.

Cuba
On 11 March, the first cases in Cuba were confirmed. As of 12 May, new cases had fallen to less than 20 per day, and a program of mass testing was beginning.

Greenland (Denmark)
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Greenland – an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark – in March 2020. There have been 11 confirmed cases, but none in need of hospitalization. The last infected person had recovered on 8 April and there are no known active cases in Greenland. As of 19 April, there have been no new infections in Greenland for two weeks.

Dominica
On 22 March, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on the island of Dominica. It was a woman who recently came back from the UK.

Dominican Republic
On 1 March, the first case in the Dominican Republic was confirmed, which was also the first case in the Caribbean.

Aruba
On 13 March 2020, Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes announced the first two confirmed cases of coronavirus on the island.

As a result, the country restricted entry of all individuals coming from Europe via air and seaports – starting on 15 March and in effect until 31 March – with the exception of those who are Aruban citizens. They also suspended public and private school classes for the week of March 16, as well as all large-scale public gatherings. On 29 May, all cases recovered. On 29 June, two more cases had been discovered.

Curaçao
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic was documented for the first time in Curaçao on 13 March 2020. The case was a 68-year-old man who was on vacation from the Netherlands. By 9 July, all cases recovered. On 15 July, a new case was discovered. On 6 August, all cases resolved.

Sint Maarten
As of 18 March there has been one confirmed case in Sint Maarten. Schools have been shut for a period of two weeks. By 15 June, all cases recovered. On 1 July, a new case was discovered, which resolved 3 July. On 15 July, a 79th case was discovered.

Bonaire
On 16 April 2020, Edison Rijna, Island Governor of Bonaire announced the first case of COVID-19 on the island. The island was already closed to international travel. On 28 April 2020, all cases had recovered. On 14 July, two new cases had been discovered.

Saba
On 12 April, the first case was confirmed in Saba. Schools, bars and 'non essential services' are all currently shut. On 12 May, all cases on Saba recovered. On 1 August, two new cases were discovered.

Sint Eustatius
On 31 March 2020, the first two cases were confirmed, they were two young men from the Netherlands who arrived on 15 March and self isolated after arrival. On 5 May all cases recovered.

El Salvador
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached El Salvador on 18 March 2020.

Overseas France
Two cases of the coronavirus were confirmed on 1 March in the French collectivity of Saint Martin, having travelled from France through Dutch Sint Maarten and French collectivity of Saint Barthélemy, where they infected their son who is a resident. They then returned to Sint Maarten and were detected at the airport and transferred to French Saint Martin hospital for isolation. According to the French Ministry of Health situation reports, as of 6 March, there have been two confirmed cases in Martinique, two in Saint Martin and one in Saint Barthélemy. As of 5 April, St. Pierre and Miquelon recorded its first verified case.

Region of Guadeloupe
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to the French overseas department and region of Guadeloupe on 12 March 2020.

Region of Martinique
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the French overseas department and region of Martinique on 5 March 2020.

Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the French overseas collectivity of Saint Barthélemy on 1 March 2020. The last positive case was on 31 March. On 21 April, the last case recovered. Between 18 and 24 July, a new case was imported.

Collectivity of Saint Martin
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin on 1 March 2020.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon on 5 April 2020.

Grenada
On 22 March, the first case in the country was confirmed.

Guatemala
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Guatemala on 13 March 2020.

Haiti
On 19 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed.

Honduras
On 10 March, the first two cases in Honduras were confirmed.

Jamaica
The government announced a travel ban between China and Jamaica. All people entering Jamaica from China will be subject to immediate quarantine for at least 14 days, and anyone who was allowed to land and shows symptoms of the virus will be put in immediate isolation. In keeping with the new policy, 19 Chinese nationals who arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport on the evening of 31 January were denied entry, quarantined and put on a flight back to China on 1 February.

On 10 March, the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) confirmed the first case in Jamaica, a female patient who arrived from the United Kingdom on 4 March. The health minister reported that she has been in isolation since 9 March after showing respiratory symptoms. Following the update, the travel ban imposed was expanded to include France, Germany and Spain.

On 11 March, the country's health minister confirmed the second "imported corona virus [sic]" case.

Mexico
On 28 February 2020, Mexico confirmed its first three cases. The country's first coronavirus-related death was reported on 18 March. Almost every state reported at least one case of infection. Mexico entered Phase 2 of 3, indicating community transmission, on 24 March. Mexico had 292 imported cases of infection, 70 cases linked to importation, and five cases that were unlinked to foreign contact.

Nicaragua
An ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was shown to have spread to Nicaragua when the first case, a Nicaraguan citizen who had returned to the country from Panama, was confirmed on 18 March 2020.

Panama
The Panamanian government has enhanced its sanitary control and screening measures at all ports of entry, to prevent the spread of the virus, isolating and testing potential cases.

On 9 March, the health ministry (MINSA) announced Panama's first coronavirus case, a Panamanian woman in her 40s who had returned from Spain.

On the following day, the MINSA announced seven more COVID-19 cases and one coronavirus-related death.

Puerto Rico (United States)
As of 19 March the territory has had five confirmed cases. On 17 March governor Wanda Vázquez Garced announced a 24/7 lockdown, with people only allowed to leave their homes for food, gas or medicines.

Saint Kitts and Nevis
On 25 March, the first two cases in the country were confirmed. By 19 May, all cases recovered.

Saint Lucia
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Saint Lucia on 13 March 2020. On 22 April 2020, it was announced that all confirmed cases had recovered. On 28 April 2020, two new cases were discovered.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
On 11 March, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines confirmed its first case.

Trinidad and Tobago
On 12 March, Trinidad and Tobago confirmed its first case of COVID-19. It was a 52-year-old man who had recently been to Switzerland. He was self-isolated before he began experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

United States
On 20 January, the United States confirmed its first case, of a 35-year-old man who had returned on 15 January to the state of Washington after visiting family in Wuhan, China. The man sought clinical assistance on 19 January.

On 27 February, the CDC reported a case in California which may be the first instance of community transmission in the US.

On 29 February, officials of Washington State confirmed the first reported death from COVID-19 in the US.

By 11 March, the U.S. had tested fewer than 10,000 people. By the end of the month, over 1,000,000 people had been tested. However, health experts stated that this level of testing was still inadequate.

On 26 March, the United States surpassed China and Italy as the country with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a figure above 82,000. The U.S. federal government's health inspectors surveyed 323 hospitals in late March; reporting "severe shortages" of test supplies, "widespread shortages" of personal protective equipment (PPE), and other strained resources due to extended patient stays while awaiting test results.

On 11 April, the United States surpassed Italy as the country with the most confirmed COVID-19 deaths, with a total of over 20,000. The U.S. also became the first to record 2,000 deaths in a single day. Wyoming became the 50th state to be issued a disaster declaration.

By 20 April, the federal government stated it was conducting 150,000 tests per day, and claimed that this number would be enough to allow for schools and businesses to reopen. Health experts estimate that 500,000 to 1,000,000 tests per day would be needed to properly track the spread of the COVID-19, to avoid a new wave of infections.

On 1 October it was announced first that Hope Hicks had tested positive, and a few hours later it was announced that both President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania had tested positive for COVID-19, who were all part of the broader White House COVID-19 outbreak.

On 9 November, the U.S. surpassed 10 million COVID-19 cases, according to data from John Hopkins.

On 11 December, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized for the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Following the issuing, it was estimated that 20,000,000 could be vaccinated over the course of a few weeks.

As of 17 December, the U.S. recorded 17 million cases of COVID-19. 308,000 had died.