Toronto marks 3-year anniversary of 1st COVID case
Posted January 25, 2023 7:31 am.
Last Updated January 25, 2023 8:15 am.
Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Toronto with officials reflecting on three years of pandemic response in the city.
The initial infection was confirmed on Jan. 25, 2020, involving a man in his 50s who had recently travelled to Wuhan, China — the epicentre of the outbreak at the start of the pandemic. It was also the first confirmed case in Canada.
The city’s medical officer of health says there is a lot to reflect on following the past three pandemic years.
“It was a Saturday afternoon and I was actually out for a walk when I received the call from a colleague about that first confirmed case,” says Dr. Eileen de Villa.
“I think we knew then that it was going to be a challenging and long road, I don’t know that I could have predicted at that point that it would be this intense for this long.”
Toronto’s COVID-19 response timeline:
- January 25, 2020: First confirmed case of COVID-19 detected in Toronto
- March 11, 2020: World Health Organization (WHO) declares pandemic
- March 17, 2020: Government of Ontario declares a State of Emergency
- March 23, 2020: City of Toronto declares a State of Emergency
- September 12, 2020: TPH opens Canada’s first COVID-19 voluntary isolation site
- January 18, 2021: City of Toronto launches first proof-of-concept immunization clinic
- March 17, 2021: City of Toronto opens first three mass immunization clinics
- April 21, 2021: Team Toronto sprint strategy for 13 neighbourhoods announced
- June 27, 2021: Record-breaking 26,771 doses administered at Scotiabank Arena
- November 6, 2021: TPH offers appointments for third (booster) doses
- April 6, 2022: TPH announces eligibility and vaccine availability for fourth doses
- May 9, 2022: City of Toronto’s COVID-19 emergency declaration terminates
- September 26, 2022: TPH begins administering bivalent COVID-19 booster doses to those 18 years of age and older
De Villa says the tools we have now, including vaccinations, masking and better awareness about hand washing, have helped protect the community.
As of Jan. 19 of this year, more than 7.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters have been administered to eligible residents who are five years of age and older, according to Toronto Public Health. More than 90 per cent of people 12 and older have received two doses.
Toronto formally ended its municipal emergency COVID-19 declaration back in May. The state of emergency was first authorized in March 2020 and lasted 777 days.
The Ford government first sanctioned a state of emergency across Ontario on Mar. 17, 2020, which ordered the immediate closure of non-essential businesses. Six days later, Mayor John Tory declared a state of emergency in Toronto.
