Dec 31, 2020 Thousands of students returned to Huntsville for the first day of classes at Sam Houston State University. Brian Blalock Almost no place has been spared â and no one. The virus that first emerged a year ago in Wuhan, China, swept across the world in 2020, leaving havoc in its wake. More than any event in memory, the pandemic has been a global event. On every continent, households have felt its devastation â joblessness and lockdowns, infirmity and death. And an abiding, relentless fear. The Huntsville Item has followed the virus' spread, how it affected our health and livelihoods, the scientific discoveries it inspired and the heated debates it encouraged throughout the year.