By Marianna Brady
BBC News, Washington
The pandemic is the biggest global story in generations, but a year ago as borders were closing we did not know how it would unfold. We asked readers to share and talk about their first text messages about the virus.
Last March, the US watched as the virus spread around the world.
Within weeks of the first recorded case in the US, the World Health Organization had declared it a pandemic, borders were closed, and millions started losing their jobs.
Five people look back at the first time “coronavirus” appeared in their text messages – and what they wished they had known back then.
24 JANUARY: ‘And suddenly, my senior year was obliterated’
As January rolled to a close, the country was wrapped up in its own political drama – the Democratic primaries. And Austin Wu, then a senior at the University of Iowa, was right in the thick of it.
In his free time, he was knocking on doors for Bernie Sanders and enjoying Friday beers at the local bar with friends….
