It’s been three years since Region of Waterloo Public Health officials confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the area.

On Mar. 5, 2020, a woman in her 50's tested for what was then more commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

"I was still in high school then," one resident said. "I thought I was just getting an extra long break. I didn't think I'd be graduating a pandemic."

Lee Fairclough was the president and CEO of St. Mary’s General Hospital at the time and later became the hospital lead of the local COVID-19 task force.

“I think it was a feeling of a bit of fear, there was a lot of unknowns about the virus at that time and what to expect,” said Fairclough. “We organized as a health system to respond, across the hospitals, public health, long term care, family physicians, and the municipal leaders coming together with the business leaders at the table. I thought it was a really good early move to set that up.”

Mandatory masking, widespread testing, and eventually vaccines were soon to follow in the region over the next three years.

“I think we suddenly felt a little bit of hope,” said Fairclough. “It was getting quite overwhelming, we had been going for a long period of time, and I think it was a feeling of ‘it’s coming it’s here.’”

While the majority of people accepted the restrictive pandemic measures in the name of public health, Faiclough remembers some that resorted to protest.

“It was very difficult,” said Fairclough. “For a long time, people were hugely grateful for the work we were doing, then suddenly there was a small group, but a loud group. That was a dark period.”

In Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, medical officer of health Dr. Nicola Mercer was at the forefront of public health.

“It feels like forever ago and it feels like just yesterday,” said Dr. Mercer.

She adds that the pandemic is not over and residents need to learn to live with it.

“We are going to have to live with COVID-19 the same way we learned to live with other coronaviruses, which actually cause the common cold, influenza, all these things that are a part of respiratory season,” said Dr. Mercer. “As we thinking about a future living with COVID-19, I think we are going to have to think about a future living with an annual shot, perhaps every fall.”

Both Dr. Mercer and Fairclough say they are proud of the all the healthcare and front line workers who were dealing with unknowns during the first few weeks of the pandemic.

"I thought it was going to be a bit of a fluke," another resident said. "I thought they'd shut us down and that was going to be about it after a few weeks, but definitely not the case."

CURRENT COVID-19 CASES FOR WATERLOO REGION

The latest COVID-19 numbers from Region of Waterloo Public Health, as of Sunday, show 26 people hospitalized with the virus, which is up by three from last week.

Four patients are in intensive care, static from the last updated.

The number of deaths tied to COVID-19 remains unchanged at 515.