On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization first learned of what would eventually become the worst pandemic in more than a century.
On that day, the WHO China office obtained a media release from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from its website regarding cases of what it called “viral pneumonia.”
A virus that seemed harmless at the time ended up shaping our lives and our world in the weeks, months and years that unfolded, becoming known as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we mark this important milestone, let us take a moment to honor the lives changed and lost, acknowledge those suffering from Covid-19 and long Covid, express gratitude to the health workers who have sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to the five-year anniversary,” the World Health Organization said in a statement marking the fifth anniversary. Years on: “Learning from COVID-19 to build a healthier tomorrow.”
More than seven million deaths have been recorded worldwide, including more than 55,000 deaths in Canada, according to World Health Organization data, although officials have said the death toll worldwide is likely much higher.
Although the World Health Organization said the emergency phase of COVID-19 has ended, it also noted that the virus is still spreading widely around the world, putting people’s lives at risk.
The COVID-19 pandemic will also remain a constant reminder that new viruses can emerge with devastating consequences.
In its statement, the World Health Organization also called on China to share and access data to understand the origins of Covid-19. “Without transparency, participation and cooperation between countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and epidemics.”
Many experts believe that the virus was transmitted naturally from animals to humans, but doubts remain that it escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan.
A resident at Lynn Valley Care Center in North Vancouver has become the first person to die from coronavirus in Canada.
First cases, deaths, closures and social distancing
Canada reported its first “presumptive” case of COVID-19 on January 25, 2020. The patient was a man in his 50s who had only days earlier returned to Toronto from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak at the time.
Canada registered on Sunday, March 8, 2020 First death attributed to Covid. British Columbia health officials have confirmed that a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions has died after contracting the disease at Lynn Valley Care Center in North Vancouver.
The alarming rise in cases, deaths and number of countries affected led the World Health Organization to label COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
“We rang the alarm bell loud and clear,” she added.
Soon, scary words like lockdown, quarantine and social distancing became very real.
The National looks at the week of March 11, when the World Health Organization declared a pandemic and everything changed in Canada and much of the world.
Meeting up with your loved ones, eating out at restaurants or going to the cinema is a thing of the past, replaced by the “new normal”.
Masks have become fashion trends. People hosted Zoom parties. With schools and offices closed to prevent the spread of the virus, working from home and online classes suddenly became possible. Everyone has tried their hand at baking. People bang pots and pans every day to celebrate front-line healthcare workers. It was a crime to sneeze and cough in public. The list of changes was endless.
At the same time, the scientific and medical research community Coronavirus study And work urgently on Vaccine development. Less than nine months after the pandemic was declared, Health Canada approved Pfizer’s vaccine against the virus in early December 2020, with the Moderna vaccine approved later that month.
after Slow start To roll out the vaccine in Canada, the country He quickly rose to the top Regarding first doses, more than 64% of Canadians have rolled up their sleeves by June 2021.
End of the emergency phase
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 global emergency in May 2023, more than three years after the pandemic was declared.
Borders have opened, families have been reunited, businesses are slowly creeping out of the pandemic-induced doldrums, and hugging and socializing are commonplace again.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the time that nearly seven million people had died during the pandemic, “but we know that the number of victims is many times higher — at least 20 million.”
Throughout the pandemic, the coronavirus has evolved into different variants including alpha, beta, delta and omicron, highlighting the critical importance of vaccines. But over time, absorption slowed. By December 2023, only federal numbers showed 15 percent of Canadian residents aged five years and older have received an updated vaccine.
Although SARS-CoV-2 is now a familiar threat, the virus is not exactly seasonal. It is still traded throughout the yearhumming in the background.
New vaccines continue to be released into pharmacies, but public health officials say the country’s focus now is on encouraging those most in need of protection to… Get updated vaccinations To help protect against currently circulating variants.
Are we better prepared for the next pandemic?
At a recent press conference, Ghebreyesus was asked if the world was better prepared for the next potential pandemic. “The answer is yes and no,” he said.
The bird flu situation is escalating in the United States, with officials in California Declaring a state of emergency Earlier this month. Infections in dairy cows are increasing and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the United States
Current19:35Could H5N1 become the next pandemic?
The H5N1 bird flu virus has infected livestock in the United States, raising concerns that it could spread to other species such as humans. We ask experts how concerned they are about the virus and whether it poses a risk of a new pandemic.
This raises new questions about the virus, which has been spreading for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammalian species. The virus, also known as type A H5N1, was… It was first discovered in dairy cows in the United States In March.
Flu monitors say they will Continue to closely monitor pandemic potential of the H5N1 strain in 2025. The virus continues to spread among American dairy cows and decimate Canadian poultry.
Ghebreyesus explains that if the next pandemic arrived today, the world would still face some of the same vulnerabilities and fragility that gave Covid-19 a foothold five years ago.
He added, “But the world has also learned many of the painful lessons that the epidemic has taught us and has taken important steps to strengthen its defenses against future epidemics and epidemics.”
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