Dinesafe In 2001, under then medical officer of health Dr.
Sheela Basrur, TPH introduced Dinesafe, the City of Toronto's food safety program which inspects restaurants for compliance with health regulations, and publicly displays results (pass, conditional pass or closed) both on-site and on the City's website.
Infectious disease control SARS During the
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis in 2003, TPH under then medical officer of health Dr. Sheela Basrur lead the City of Toronto's response to the virus.
COVID-19 TPH was responsible for coordinating the City of Toronto's response to the
international outbreak of
COVID-19. On January 7, 2020, TPH was informed of a "undiagnosed viral pneumonia" in
Wuhan,
China, and began to monitor and develop a response plan should it spread to Toronto. TPH released a statement on January 21 that it was "actively monitoring" the virus. On March 19, 2020, TPH ordered restaurants and bars to halt dine-in service amid evidence of community spread. TPH collaborated with the
University of Toronto to interpret self-reported symptom data provided by the COVID Near You platform, based out of
Harvard Medical School and
Boston Children's Hospital. The platform was launched in Canada on April 3, 2020, with results of the analysis shared with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On September 11, 2020, the
Public Health Agency of Canada announced $13.9 million in funding for TPH to establish a "voluntary self-isolation centre" for eligible residents facing "difficulty properly isolating themselves." The Toronto Voluntary Isolation Centre officially opened the following day in a converted hotel. TPH administered the facility, including identifying eligible cases. == Board of Health ==