“When asked about the most significant catastrophe of the twentieth century, it’s rare for anyone to mention the Spanish flu,” Laura Spinney observes in her book, Pale Rider, regarding the pandemic that claimed as many as one in every twenty lives worldwide. “There are no war memorials, no tributes in places like London, Moscow, or Washington DC.”
The lack of memorials for such a massive event feels more relatable to us after living through Covid-19, which the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic five years ago this week. For some, the shadow of those years lingers—especially for those who lost loved ones among the seven million deaths globally, not counting those indirectly affected, and for individuals living with long Covid. Many others prefer to move on, leaving behind the memory of lost loved ones, months spent in isolation, and the strain on businesses, families, and mental health.
Nonetheless, the political, economic, and social reverberations still continue, parallel to the personal impacts. We’ve learned a lot about the pandemic’s toll and how a swifter, more skilled response could have mitigated it. Some nations, like Taiwan, New Zealand, and South Korea, stood out by saving lives effectively without imposing severe social hardships.
Elsewhere, secrecy, negligence, or overconfidence led to tragic outcomes. More often than not, health workers and communities performed admirably while government responses fell short. The initial findings from the UK Covid inquiry, released last year, highlighted “serious errors” in the country’s pandemic preparations. The forthcoming report, expected this autumn, will scrutinize political decision-making, where failures are stark. Nearly 230,000 lives were lost, with research suggesting an earlier lockdown might have saved many.
A global reflection is vital. Although Covid-19 erupted a little over a century after a worldwide influenza outbreak, pandemics aren’t rare centennial occurrences. Our current way of living heightens their likelihood. A future pandemic could involve a virus that is more contagious, deadlier, or both. Throughout different countries and even within them, it was often the economically disadvantaged who suffered disproportionately. Inequalities in healthcare and vaccine access could ultimately affect everyone. Efforts for a worldwide pandemic agreement have stalled and need renewed focus as discussions resume next month.
There has been tangible progress at the grassroots level, not only in vaccine technology but also in providing essential resources like medical-grade oxygen, making a life-saving difference. Preparing for future pandemics means building robust public health systems alongside advancements in medical care. A significant challenge posed by the pandemic was the pervasive feeling of isolation and betrayal, breeding grounds for conspiracy theories. While many expressed deep appreciation for scientists and healthcare professionals, others grew wary of vaccines and skeptical of science and authority in general. Adding to the complexity, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who has disseminated unfounded claims about immunization and reportedly opposed the Covid-19 vaccine—now serves as the US health secretary, coinciding with a rise in measles cases.
Covid-19 taught us that responding to pandemics involves not just resources, knowledge, and policies, but also fostering trust and mutual protection among people. This intangible aspect is perhaps the trickiest element to address, requiring social and political transformations. Yet, as the WHO’s director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasized this week, preparing for pandemics is non-negotiable: “Our collective global security demands it.”
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