‘A time of effort and sacrifice’: 5 years since COVID-19 declared a global pandemic

Five years ago, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic of the novel coronavirus, setting off a series of policies that transformed Canadians' lives for years. Health-care workers do testing at a drive-thru COVID-19 assessment centre at the Etobicoke General Hospital in Toronto on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Five years ago, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic of the novel coronavirus, setting off a series of policies that transformed Canadians' lives for years.

The WHO’s declaration followed months of warning signs about the dangers of COVID-19, including mass lockdowns in China and Italy, and served as a wake-up call for many Canadians.

“It really highlighted that it was not a situation that was confined to one area, one city — it really was a national and international response that was required,” said Dr. Na-Koshie Lamptey, Toronto’s acting medical officer of health.

“And so you saw the mobilization of societal resources to fight it.”

In the weeks and months that followed, Canadian governments moved to shut down schools and offices, limit travel and ban social gatherings, while offering unprecedented financial lifelines to help people and businesses weather the crisis.

Flags flew at half-mast Tuesday over the buildings of the provincial legislature in Quebec City to mark the date, designated as a day of remembrance in the province for the victims of COVID-19.

“It was a difficult time for everyone, a time of effort and sacrifice,” Premier François Legault said Tuesday in a social media statement. “But it was also an opportunity for the people of Quebec to demonstrate their solidarity and courage.”

In British Columbia, Premier David Eby said the pandemic took a heavy toll on people’s health, the economy and other aspects of daily life, but also saw residents step up to protect themselves and their loved ones.

“We have learned from our shared response to the pandemic that we are stronger together,” Eby said in a statement.

The province’s top doctor, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said COVID-19 has delivered important lessons on how to protect -- and care for -- communities, particularly those most vulnerable.

“Now, more than ever, we must continue to take those important measures we all learned, from making sure immunizations are up to date to cleaning our hands regularly and staying away from others if we are sick,” she said.

The pandemic turned public health officials into household names as people across Canada sought to keep up with the latest advice and regulatory changes.

The importance of effective communication, both with the public and between government divisions, was one of the many lessons to come out of the pandemic, said Lamptey, the Toronto public health official.

Clear communication builds trust so that people can better contribute to the collective emergency response, she added.

Looking back on the crisis, it’s important to recognize the significant sacrifices made by health-care staff and other essential workers to protect the well-being of others, and honour those whose lives were lost to the virus, she said.

As the level of immunity has increased through vaccines and people recovering from the disease, the impact of the virus has changed, but it can still have serious consequences for older adults and those with chronic medical conditions, she said.

As well, many people continue to experience long-term effects of COVID-19, she added.

Politically, the pandemic initially spurred co-operation, but as time went on, it amplified a populist shift that had already been set in motion before the public health emergency, said Sanjay Ruparelia, an associate professor of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

The greater impact, he said, has been on Canada’s international reputation due to its lack of solidarity when it came to the distribution of vaccines.

“I think Canada actually had one of the worst records in the world in terms of how many extra surplus vaccines we ordered in advance, given the size of our population,” Ruparelia said in a recent interview.

“I think it really hurt our reputation, our credibility at time,” and led Canada to lose a lot of its soft power, as did other Western countries who responded similarly, he said.

Canada was criticized as a vaccine hoarder early in the pandemic and faced escalating pressure to start sharing some of its stockpile of doses.

The WHO lifted the global COVID-19 emergency in May 2023, noting the illness had been on a downward trend for more than a year.

With files from Maura Forrest

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2025.

Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press