CBC
On Dec. 31, 2019, the World Health Organization first learned about what ended up becoming the worst pandemic in over a century.That day, WHO's office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of what it called "viral pneumonia."The virus that might have seemed innocuous at the time ended up shaping our lives and our world in the weeks, months and years that unfolded, and came to be known as the COVID-19 pandemic."As we mark this milestone, let's take a moment to honour the lives changed and lost, recognize those who are suffering from COVID-19 and long COVID, express gratitude to the health workers who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from COVID-19 to build a healthier tomorrow," WHO said in a statement marking the five-year anniversary.A health-care worker prepares to swab a man at a walk-in COVID-19 test clinic on May 10, 2020. More than seven million deaths have been recorded worldwide as a result of the pandemic, with more than 55,000 of those deaths in Canada, according to WHO data. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)More than seven million deaths have been recorded worldwide, with more than 55,000 of those deaths in Canada, according to WHO data, though officials have said the worldwide death toll is likely far higher. And though WHO has said the emergency phase of COVID-19 is over, they also note the virus continues to spread widely across the globe, endangering people's lives. The COVID-19 pandemic will also always be a permanent reminder of the potential for new viruses to emerge with devastating consequences.In its statement, WHO also called on China to share data and access to understand the origins of COVID-19. "Without transparency, sharing and co-operation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics."Many experts believe the virus was transmitted naturally from animals to humans, but suspicions continue to persist that it escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan.WATCH | The first COVID-19 death in Canada: 1st cases, deaths, lockdowns and social distancingCanada reported its first "presumptive" case of COVID-19 on Jan. 25, 2020. The patient was a man in his 50s who had just days earlier returned to Toronto from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak at the time. On Sunday, March 8, 2020, Canada recorded its first death attributed to COVID. B.C. health officials confirmed that a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions had died after becoming infected with the illness at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver. The alarming rise in cases, deaths and the number of affected countries, led WHO to characterize COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020."We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear," it said.Soon, the dreaded words lockdown, quarantine and social distancing became all too real. WATCH | The week everything changed: Getting together with loved ones and eating at restaurants or going to the movies became a thing of the past, replaced by "the new normal."Masks became fashion statements. People hosted Zoom parties. As schools and offices closed to prevent the spread of the virus, working from home and online classes were suddenly possibilities. Everyone tried their hand at baking. People banged pots and pans every day to celebrate front-line health-care workers. Sneezing and coughing in public felt like a crime. The list of changes was endless.Meanwhile, the scientific and medical research community was studying the coronavirus and urgently working to develop vaccines. Less than nine months after the pandemic was declared, Health Canada approved Pfizer's vaccine against the virus in early December 2020, with approval for Moderna's vaccine following later that month.After a slow start to Canada's vaccine rollout, the country quickly rose to the top in terms of first doses, with more than 64 per cent of Canadians having rolled up their sleeves by June 2021. People receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on June 27, 2021. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press)An end to emergency phaseFinally, after what felt like a lifetime, WHO declared an end to the global emergency status for COVID-19 in May 2023, more than three years after the pandemic had been declared.Borders opened up, families reunited, businesses slowly started crawling back from pandemic-induced slumps and hugging and socializing became common again.Almost seven million people have died during the pandemic, "but we know the toll is several times higher — at least 20 million," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the time.Throughout the pandemic, the coronavirus evolved into different variants including Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omicron, highlighting the critical importance of the vaccines. But over time, uptake has slowed. By December 2023, federal figures showed just 15 per cent of Canada's population aged five and up had received an updated vaccine. And while SARS-CoV-2 is now a familiar threat, the virus isn't strictly seasonal. It still circulates year-round, humming in the background.New vaccines continue to be rolled out at pharmacies, but public health officials say the country's focus is now on encouraging those who most need protection to get the updated vaccines to help protect against currently circulating variants. Customers wait in a distance line outside a Costco Wholesale store in Burnaby, B.C., on April 21, 2020. Though WHO has said the emergency phase of COVID-19 is over, they note that the virus continues to spread widely across the globe and endanger people's lives. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Are we better prepared for the next pandemic?At a recent news conference, Ghebreyesus was asked if the world is any better prepared for the next possible pandemic. "The answer is yes and no," he said. The bird flu situation has been escalating in the U.S., with California officials declaring a state of emergency earlier this month. Infections in dairy cows have been increasing and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S.LISTEN | Could bird flu become the next pandemic? That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. The virus, also known as Type A H5N1, was detected for the first time in U.S. dairy cattle in March.Flu watchers say they'll continue to keep a close eye on the pandemic potential of the H5N1 strain in 2025. The virus continues to spread among U.S. dairy cattle and decimate Canadian poultry. If the next pandemic arrived today, the world would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that gave COVID-19 a foothold five years ago, Ghebreyesus explains."But the world has also learned many of the painful lessons the pandemic taught us and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defences against future epidemics and pandemics," he said.
