Search
Close this search box.

CanCOGeN timeline

A pan-Canadian collaboration to fight COVID-19

Marking CanCOGeN's
first anniversary

Over the last year, genomics data has become one of the most powerful tools in Canada’s arsenal against COVID-19. As we mark the first anniversary of the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), learn more about how this groundbreaking pan-Canadian initiative has met the pandemic challenge head on – from informing public health decision-making, to mobilizing a rapid response to new variants of concern, to improving Canada’s preparedness for future pandemics and public health challenges.

2020

January

First COVID-19 case in Canada

January

March

First SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced in Canada

  • World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a global pandemic. 
  • Community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed in Canada.
  • Genome Canada leads in proposing new national viral genomics network.
March

April

Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN) launches with $40M federal investment

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces 1.1B research funding for fighting COVID-19

Canada passes 10k total COVID-19 cases. 

April

May

CanCOGeN partners with COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium

COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium

 

 

HostSeq and VirusSeq implementation Committees launch.

May

June

CanCOGeN-HostSeq Research Ethics Board approval enables patient recruitment to begin

  • Canada passes 100K total COVID-19 cases.
  • Dr. Catalina Lopez-Correa joins CanCOGeN as Executive Director. 

June

July

First HostSeq study begins

July

August

VirusSeq members lead international team in publishing a SARS-CoV-2 data standard

  • HostSeq Sequencing begins.
  • VirusSeq establishes national quality. assurance/quality control criteria, now used in many countries.
  • 10K viral sequences completed.
August

September

Variant of concern (B.1.1.7) emerges in the U.K.

September

October

Variant of concern (B.1.351) emerges in South Africa

October

December

Approval of first COVID-19 vaccine in Canada

  • Variant of concern (B.1.1.248 (P.1)) emerges in Brazil. 
  • First COVID-19 vaccine administered in Canada. 
  • Canada passes 500K total COVID-19 cases. 
  • CanCOGeN mobilizes within hours of reports that a new SARS-CoV-2 variant is spreading in the U.K.
  • First variant of concern case detected in Canada (B.1.1.7).
December
2021

February

CanCOGeN partners to support the Government of Canada Variants of Concern Strategy to track fast-spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants

CIHR IRSC logo

  • 50K viral sequences completed. 
  • 1K host sequences completed. 
February

March

20K viral sequences shared on GISAID

March

April

Canada passes 1M total COVID-19 cases

  • HostSeq has received 4K samples and sequenced 2K host genomes. 
  • Canadian VirusSeq Data Portal launched.
  • 80K viral sequences completed.
April
2022