Six years on: Looking back at COVID’s first known cases

As the world quietly marks six years since the earliest known cases of COVID-19, Primedia's Digital Content Editor Barbara Friedman reflects on how the first reports emerged in late 2019. 

A 55-year-old man in Wuhan is widely documented as the earliest symptomatic case, though some researchers believe the virus may have been circulating as early as mid-November. 

What followed was a cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases linked to a local seafood and live-animal market, triggering a wave of global shock as China imposed unprecedented containment measures.

Friedman recalls how the virus rapidly spread to Europe, with northern Italy becoming one of the first epicentres outside Asia. 

South Africa’s first case was linked to a traveller returning from Italy, marking the beginning of a national outbreak that escalated into lockdowns and widespread anxiety. 

Despite ongoing public fatigue and uncertainty, Friedman notes that millions died worldwide, and scientists maintain that the true toll was likely far higher than official figures.

"Think of all the things COVID has done to this world; we've never completely recovered.

"So many unanswered questions, and of course, a lot of sceptics."

To listen to Friedman in conversation with CapeTalk's Clarence Ford, click below: