Pandemic anniversary
COVID-19 lessons after year two
Health-care workers prone a ventilated COVID-19 patient who’s also an unvaccinated nurse in the intensive care unit at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette (Via CTVNews.ca)
Two years after the World Health Organization first described COVID-19 as a global pandemic, leaders in Canada and many other parts of the world appear ready to move on, for better or worse, with the last of the Canadian public health measures set to lift over the coming weeks.
COVID-19 reached every corner of the world. More than 450 million cases have been officially counted, but actual figures are likely significantly higher, particularly after Omicron cases exploded and testing could no longer keep up. More than six million people died, and even that stark figure is widely believed to be undercounted as well. Those numbers will continue to climb.
COVID-19’s enormous scope has resulted in an unprecedented torrent of knowledge. I interviewed five medical experts who specialize in infectious diseases, immunology, and epidemiology for their insights into the lessons learned in the second year of the pandemic. Read the full story here.
Pandemic 101: Essential facts and myths about COVID-19
Over the past two years, an unprecedented tsunami of pandemic information has guided and informed the decision making of governments, health-care workers, the global scientific community, and the public.
No other event in history has precipitated this level of intense and simultaneous research and exchange of expertise from scientists around the world in such a short period. New and evolving information make it difficult to keep up. Meanwhile, misinformation and fake news have muddied the flood of knowledge.
I compiled a summary of essential COVID-19 facts and myths about the disease, masks, and vaccines for CTVNews.ca, along with links to more in-depth stories we’ve written over the past year on these issues. Read the facts here.
People are shown at the Bill Durnan Arena COVID-19 vaccination site in Montreal, Saturday, May 22, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Graham Hughes) (Via CTVNews.ca)