WHO marks 5 years since COVID-19 came on its radar — it became the worst pandemic in a century

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.

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.

Canada 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.