Canada's First Known COVID-19 Case Arrived In Toronto One Year Ago Today
Today marks a milestone in a year unlike any other. On January 22, 2020, Canada's first known COVID-19 case arrived in Toronto.
According to a report by the Infectious Disease Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association, a 56-year-old man arrived at the hospital's emergency department with a dry cough and a fever after returning from Wuhan, China the day before.*
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The cough began during travel, but the patient only developed fever on the day of presentation, which prompted him to proceed to the emergency department.
IDSA and HIVMA report
The patient, a man from Richmond Hill, visited Wuhan for the Lunar New Year, reports the Toronto Sun.
His wife also contracted COVID-19, the hospital says, but her only symptom was a cough and she was able to remain at home during her recovery.
After eight days, Canada's first confirmed case of COVID-19 was discharged from the hospital and allowed to return home for the rest of his recovery.
On February 20, both individuals tested negative for COVID-19.
"We can confirm that both husband and wife did complete questionnaires at the electronic kiosks and indicated they had travelled to Wuhan," said Dr. Theresa Tam, according to The Sun.
"As a result, they were questioned by a CBSA agent to determine if they had symptoms. At the time of arrival, the husband had only a mild cough."
Since then, Canada has recorded over 731,000 cases of COVID-19 and over 18,000 deaths.
New travel restrictions have since been implemented, as Dr. Tam reveals that variant strains from other countries may already be spreading through community transmission.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated.