The Coronavirus. Is it new……not really. We have been dealing with strains of the virus for years. Today’s discussion is about the virus. Where did it come from? How was it transmitted to humans? Why don’t we naturally have an immunity to it and why is China getting such a bad rap when other countries have been affected in a more devastating way. First, let’s break down what COVID-19 means. CO for Corona. The virus was named Corona from the latin word for crown. This is the shape of the virus structure under a microscope. The VI in COVID mean virus. D in COVID represents the disease that develops as a result of contracting the Corona virus. And finally, 19 stand for 2019, which is the year this strain was first detected and reported. This virus has ground local economies to a halt, separated friends and family by 2 meters, caused the cancelation of vacations AND has some parents questioning the rationale for bearing children. But more devasting is the death toll of our most vulnerable. The elderly in long term care facilities and those with compromised immune systems. To help us understand the origins, the complexity and the danger of this particular virus is Dr. Lawrence Loh. Dr. Loh is the Interim Medical Officer of Health at Region of Peel – Public Health and an Adjunct Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He completed undergraduate training and medical school at the University of Western Ontario and residency at the University of Toronto, during which he also earned a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins. He is board certified in family medicine in Canada and in Public Health and Preventive Medicine in both Canada and the United States. He has an acute knowledge of epidemiology and what makes viruses tick.

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