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A look back on a year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Houston

More than 2 million Texans have recovered from the virus. Three brand-new vaccines are now being distributed. And Houston came together.

HOUSTON — If you watched KHOU 11 exactly one year ago, on March 11, 2020, you learned the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was canceled for the first time in 83 years. You learned the NBA suspended its season after a player tested positive for COVID-19, and you learned President Donald Trump issued a travel ban.

But most importantly, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

From March 11, 2020, to March 11, 2021, Texas went from 18 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to 2,330,216. Last year, no deaths were linked to COVID-19. Today, we grieve for the 44,875 Texans who died from complications after contracting the virus.

Within the last year, there has been some promising news. More than 2 million Texans have recovered from the virus. Three brand-new vaccines are now being distributed. And Houston came together.

Your donations helped the Houston Food Bank, America’s largest food bank, distribute 272,380,275 pounds of food across 18 Houston-area counties within the first 11 months of the pandemic.

It was a record-setting pace felt by people who sewed up a storm, creating cloth masks for neighbors who needed them. People organized on apps like Nextdoor to collect and refurbish old computers for students who needed the technology for virtual learning.

From celebrating healthcare heroes to honking in support of friends celebrating milestones, to posing for porch-side family portraits, this pandemic sure has tested us, but Houston is meeting the moment.

In prayer and purpose, in song, and over the skillet, we have found a way to connect while apart, to laugh as we cry.

On March 11, 2020, it all changed.

Here’s to looking at back at what we had while taking stock in where we are.

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