One year since Canada’s 1st COVID-19 case

It's been exactly one year since the first known case of COVID-19 was detected in Canada.

The 56-year-old man had arrived at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto with what seemed to be mild pneumonia.

But because he had travelled from China and his X-rays were unusual, the decision was made to admit him.

Samples were sent by taxi to Ontario's public health laboratory, which had been working to come up with a reliable test.

The lab was soon able to confirm the man was infected with what was then being called the novel coronavirus.

Although ``Patient Zero'' eventually recovered, more than 19,000 people in Canada have since died from COVID-19.

Beyond the physical, mental and economic devastation that was to follow, the virus prompted a social upheaval that would fundamentally alter the lives of millions of Canadians.