London looks back on the early days of COVID-19

It was five years ago today that the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, during a week that saw countries around the world impose lock downs and travel restrictions to slow the rapid spread of the deadly virus.  

At the time, Canada had just over 100 cases and only one confirmed death. A vaccine was still months away.

Within days workers were sent home, businesses closed their doors and the Canada-U.S. border was shut to all non-essential travel. 

On the five-year anniversary of that week, CBC News reached out to Londoners asking them to share their memories of that time. 

The daughter of a parent in long-term care

When London's largest hospital last week announced new entry restrictions in a bid to curtail an ongoing measles outbreak, Andrea Wojtak was reminded of those difficult days of March 2020. 

"It's triggering," said Wojtak of the recent measles news. "It really  brought my memories back to measures imposed at my father's long-term care home."

In March of 2020 Wojtak's 94-year-old father Karol Wojtak was a resident at Extendicare London. Almost every day brought new public health restrictions aimed at curbing COVID's rapid spread. However, each one also took a toll on the mental health of the residents, including her father. 

"I remember going up to the care home with my kids and seeing my dad sitting in a wheelchair behind the glass doors  and all he could do is wave to us," she said. "I remember seeing all the other residents in there, waving to their loved ones and seeing the sheer loneliness in their faces. It was really heart-breaking." 

With COVID taking a devastating toll on care home residents across the province, Andrea Wojtak considered bringing her father home to protect him. However, she was told taking him out, even for a few days, might cause his room to be reassigned. 

Eventually the restrictions eased but Wojtak said they took a toll on her father. Just one example: He lost mobility because Andrea and her sister weren't able to visit and walk with him. 

"The staff were making him use the wheelchair to prevent falls," she said. "It was at that point his quality of his life diminished so much."

Karol Wojtak died in July 2003. He was 97. 

Andrea Wojtak said if there's a lesson to be learned from that time, it's that family members of care home residents should be seen as an asset, not an irritant, to staff.

"Long-term care homes finally saw caregivers as part of their health-care team. I'm hoping that never changes," she said.

The care provider who contracted long COVID

Leanne Argoso is a care provider who can't forget COVID-19, because many of its effects remain with her. 

When the pandemic hit Argoso, now a 47-year-old mother of two pre-teen boys, was working as a physiotherapist at the in-patient spinal cord unit at Parkwood Institute. Her job was to help seniors and post-op patients maintain or regain their mobility. 

"It was a crazy time," said Argoso. "I remember driving to Costco in a mad panic like everybody else and buying everything." 

At work, the rules and restrictions changed each day.

"There was masks and then there was gloves and it was constantly evolving as they were learning new things," she said. "It was a lot all at once."

As hospitals tried to free up beds, Parkwood's case load increased. 

Argoso admits it was a tough time on her. Eventually she contracted COVID herself in 2022, though she doesn't know if she was infected at work. 

Now, three years later, she's still battling the effects of long-COVID, a form of the disease that can leave a person with symptoms months or years after infection. 

Her biggest challenge is persistent fatigue and headaches. 

"You need to be able to work four-hour days, and I just can't do that," she said. 

She's looking for a new position where her work expectations can be adjusted to how she's feeling on particular day. 

"I'm trying to think of what else is out there so I can help others," she said. 

Assessment centres rapid set up

Five years ago, Mike McMahon was planning a trip to Montreal to see the Canadiens play when COVID-19 shut down the NHL season and threw a body check into his working life. 

McMahon is executive director with Thames Valley Family Health Team, the organization that had to hurriedly set up London's two COVID-19 assessment and testing centres in partnership with London Health Sciences and the Middlesex-London Health Unit. The Oakridge assessment centre opened on March 11, the second at Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre opened a week later. 

Looking back, McMahon said a key factor in getting the assessment centres running was the willingness of staff to learn and perform new jobs. 

"We had professionals who had worked in primary care for years saying 'Listen, tell me how we can help the community, and I'll be there.'" 

As the height of the outbreak, the assessment centres tested hundreds of people a day, a service that involved pre-screening drivers as they idled line.  

McMahon said while there were challenges, the assessment centre shows what can happen when different health care organizations work together.  

"We need a more integrated health system that serves our communities better than it does today," he said.