Gain-of-function research and other factors have made pandemic risks truly existential. The world must take action.
The Covid-19 pandemic recently marked its third year. Life has seemingly returned to normal for people in many countries. But Covid itself lingers. Milder variants with significantly higher lethality rates than the seasonal flu circulate. Long-Covid symptoms still plague those afflicted. The official worldwide Covid death toll tops 6 million, while the excess-death count is above 20 million. Just weeks ago, China abandoned its zero-Covid policy overnight without proper preparation, inducing a catastrophe of millions dead under the Omicron wave, as many elders were not vaccinated. Japan recently recorded a new peak in Covid deaths as of December 2022. To paraphrase Yogi Berra — the pandemic ain’t over until it’s over.
