Monday marks the two-year anniversary of the announcement of the first confirmed COVID-19 death in New York.

The victim, an 82-year-old woman with pre-existing emphysema, died Friday, March 14, 2020, at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, according to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and then-Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The first coronavirus case in New York City was confirmed on March 1, 2020. In the days and weeks that followed, masks and social distancing became prominent as people attempted to stop the spread. Those who were sick were encouraged to stay home and self-isolate, as COVID-19 tests were hard to come by at that time. And because COVID-19 was a new virus, there was not yet immunity in the population to help combat the illness.

The city was hit particularly hard by the first wave of the virus. According to city data, the five boroughs reached a peak of 598 COVID-19 deaths in one day on April 7. The city averaged more than 500 COVID-19 deaths per day each day from April 4 to 14 – numbers that were about five times higher than they were at any other point during the pandemic, including during the delta and omicron waves.

The city and state in recent weeks have returned to policies that are about as back to normal as they have been since the start of the pandemic. Vaccine requirements were lifted a week ago at many indoor venues, including restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.