With public-health experts and international organizations no longer considering COVID-19 an immediate global threat, the pandemic has already begun to seem like a distant memory. But forgetting the hard-earned lessons of the past three years will leave us ill-equipped to handle future disasters.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT – President Joe Biden’s administration has officially ended the national health emergency in the United States, allowing the remaining pandemic restrictions to expire on May 11. Other countries have already taken similar steps, and more are expected to follow suit. With the World Health Organization no longer considering COVID-19 a global health emergency, it seems that the virus and its massive death toll will soon fade from memory, along with N95 masks and PCR tests. But this collective forgetting jeopardizes efforts to secure consistent funding for public health.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT – President Joe Biden’s administration has officially ended the national health emergency in the United States, allowing the remaining pandemic restrictions to expire on May 11. Other countries have already taken similar steps, and more are expected to follow suit. With the World Health Organization no longer considering COVID-19 a global health emergency, it seems that the virus and its massive death toll will soon fade from memory, along with N95 masks and PCR tests. But this collective forgetting jeopardizes efforts to secure consistent funding for public health.