It's been around two years since the COVID-19 pandemic was quelled by the joint effort globally. In "A Tale of Two Cities", Charles Dickens's 1859 novel set during the French Revolution, he wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness." Such has been the case with what had happened during the pandemic.
There's no denying that science saved lives. Vaccines were created and tested after the virus was identified, and then it determined how to mass-produce, mass-distribute, and mass-administer the vaccines at no cost to the public ---- without preexisting infrastructure in place for mass-vaccinating adults. So ubiquitous were make-shift medical facilities like testing booths that the affected could be quickly screened and sent for quarantine and treatment. It is estimated that COVID-19 vaccines have saved billions of souls, which offers hope for how quickly we can respond to the next pandemic.
Meanwhile, people's free will has faced unprecedented challenges since the government's stringent isolation measures took effect. Many had to be locked up at home for weeks or even months, studying or working. The phenomenon of trampling on civil rights due to epidemic prevention occasionally occurred, and in some areas, accidents even led to multiple injuries and casualties. As the pandemic progressed, we found that we'd been replete with misformation or incomplete information so that at times we found it difficult to discern the truth of the matter. With the accumulation of negative emotions, we succumbed to vulnerability and urgently needed an outlet to release our inner distress.
Given that we prevail in the fight against the pandemic, perhaps our experiences with SAR-CoV-2, which so far has killed some seven million people worldwide, can prepare us to cope better with the next pandemic. We should heed these lessons.
VACCINATING THE WORLD IS IN EVERYONE'S SELF-INTEREST
Most governments have the technological capacity and resources to vaccinate their public, and it wouldn't necessarily be an altruistic act. SARS-CoV-2 will continue to circulate and create variants for decades to come. Surprisingly, at the end of 2023, nearly one-third of the people living on the planet had no access to the vaccines, many of whom hadn't received a single dose of them. The degree to which any country is at risk for severe disease is the degree to which we're all at risk. No one is safe until everyone is safe. Life-saving medications should not be used as commercial tools and political manipulation.
THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS TRULY IS A PROCESS
Recommendations for the treatment and prevention of COVID have evolved as we've learned more about how the virus is transmitted and who is at greatest risk. At first, personal hygiene was deemed much more important and people were told to wash hands constantly, clean surfaces, and store-bought items. Eventually, it became clear that while masking was mandatory, washing and cleaning had a lesser impact. Scientists, clinicians, and public health officials should be more careful about informing the public of guidelines that are based on what we know at the time and that things might be changing over time. If the situation can't be updated, the fluidity of scientific knowledge will remain disconcerting.
ALWAYS PRIORITIZE THE MOST VULNERABLE
Everyone at every age is susceptible to COVID, but not everyone is equally susceptible to severe illness. The elderly suffered a death rate about a thousand-fold greater than children; at times, as many as 50 percent of COVID deaths occurred in local nursing homes. Similarly, studies of booster dosing showed that those most likely to benefit included people over 75, people with multiple health problems, those who were immunocompromised, and those who were pregnant. For as long as this virus circulates, the primary focus should be on protecting these four groups.
THE CURE SHOULDN'T BE WORSE THAN THE DISEASE
At first, the only strategy for decreasing COVID was to limit human-to-human contact. We closed businesses and shuttered schools. No one paid a bigger price for this approach than children, who were at great stake for the lack of education and socialization regardless of online tutoring. The effect of these deficits will no doubt be felt for years to come. Our interest in getting children back to school even in "bubbles" should have been just as intense as our interest in getting people back to work. To achieve this, detailed steps and precautions should be taken into account before returning to school.
COOPERATION MAKES US STRONGER
Partnering with a handful of epidemiologists, we offered the first batch of vaccines to those in desperate need and they were found to be effective and safe, and then more of administer vaccines, as well as test kits and antivirals were distributed and provided. It was an amazing effort and bodes well for our ability to create and distribute vaccines against future pandemic viruses.
Robust and resilient, we created safe and effective vaccines in record time using a novel technology. Nurses and doctors worked extra hours, even without proper personal protective equipment. It was all hands on deck. Again we responded to a worldwide tragedy with our wisdom and determination, because we saw ourselves as part of a whole.
It's in us. We can do this. When we see ourselves as part of something greater, we tap into the better angels of our nature even though the imminent pandemic looms over us.
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