Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

PHO has developed a variety of resources to help stakeholders navigate the unique challenges COVID-19 presents in their specific settings. Scroll below to view PHO’s resources for these settings, as well as information on the various roles PHO plays in Ontario’s COVID-19 response.

COVID-19 is a novel (new) coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that originate in animals, but are known to cause respiratory illness in humans, particularly during the fall and winter months. Other novel coronaviruses include Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV).

The World Health Organization (WHO) classified COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Public Health Ontario has conducted laboratory testing and collaborated with healthcare partners to expand testing capacity since the outset of COVID-19. We are also working very closely with the Ministry of Health and local public health units to provide evidence and expertise that will inform decisions and policy around surveillance, case and contact management, and infection control.