KITCHENER About a year ago, the first murmurs were heard of a mysterious illness spreading in the Chinese city of Wuhan. By January of 2020, the first case of COVID-19 had reached Canada. Two months later, Waterloo Region identified its first case after two people had returned from Italy. What followed next would be nine months of illness and heartbreak, but also resilience and hope. Here is a look back at 2020 and how COVID-19 has shaped our lives this year.
MARCH
March 3: After making headlines around the globe for weeks, COVID-19 finally reached Waterloo Region after the region’s first case returned from a trip to Italy.
The work is still in the pre-clinical stage and their efforts are highlighting the University of Waterloo s dedication to fighting the pandemic. Just within a few days, things ramped up so dramatically, UW associate Prof. Roderick Slavcev said. Students and staff at the School of Pharmacy were already looking to develop a different type of vaccine to fight respiratory illness before the pandemic began. COVID-19 added fuel to their passion. Being part of a global urgency and trying to address a global crisis like this is a privilege, Slavcev said. A former student, who now runs a spin-off company in Toronto called Mediphage Bioceuticals, is also involved in the project.