It's been exactly two years since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and local officials are remembering the lengthy battle to keep residents safe.
Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said the initial mortality estimates were a concern, especially when there was no road map for how to handle it.
Colby was also surprised by all of the COVID-19 waves throughout the pandemic because he thought the coronavirus would blow through quickly and then settle down. Colby said it's been quite a ride.
"I think the biggest fear from my own perspective was not knowing how this was going to roll out. This idea of the coronavirus going pandemic and causing subsequent waves was something I did not anticipate," said Colby.
CKHA President and CEO Lori Marshall said she was filled with trepidation and concern at the start of the pandemic but was confident her staff would manage the pandemic like professionals to help save lives.
"Two years later, such great pride in our organization and our community because we've had a dramatically different experience in Chatham-Kent than some other areas of the province, or the country, or the world," Marshall said.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said death was his biggest concern and he can't believe we're still talking about this two years later.
"If you look at something with a high death rate then what happens if the supply chain starts breaking down? That was my biggest concern going into the pandemic... if you have empty grocery stores and you have a number of different things happening like that," said Mayor Canniff.
Colby said there was a lot of anxiety at the beginning of the pandemic because there was uncertainty about how to cope with it.
Marshall and Colby said their staff lived day to day in the beginning because of the anxiety and the rapid change and Mayor Canniff also thanked the community for everything it has done to keep the virus under control.
Chatham-Kent has had 58 COVID-19 deaths and a total of 7,016 reported COVID-19 cases in the last two years.
