FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT – Three years have passed since the dark days of early 2020, and the world has made extraordinary progress in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet in many ways, the world is now back to square one. Public-health precautions that were ramped up from 2020 to 2022 are now virtually nonexistent in most parts of the world, and the currently available vaccines and drugs neither prevent infections nor - for broad swaths of the population - even effectively treat them.

Make no mistake: COVID-19 still poses a clear and present danger. Research shows that two or more COVID-19 re-infections doubles the risk of negative health outcomes such as death, blood clots, and lung damage. The risk of cardiovascular events has been found to increase by 4.5 percent for up to 12 months after an infection, regardless of age, race, sex, obesity, smoking, or other factors.

Nearly one in five Americans are reporting ongoing long-COVID symptoms, and recent research estimates that as many as 4 million people suffering from this condition are unable to work. The long-term social and economic impact of these continual re-infections is still unknown but should not be underestimated.

To be clear, the messenger RNA vaccines in particular have done an excellent job of reducing hospitalizations and deaths, but questions remain regarding waning immunity. Meanwhile, public uptake has decreased with each new booster: A mere