As the COVID-19 pandemic fades into the past, people are eager to put it behind them and move on with their lives. However, the lessons taught by the pandemic must be remembered to prevent such a disaster from happening again.

Most people now act as if COVID-19 is over, yet the virus remains active and dangerous. The limited ability of current vaccines and drugs to prevent infection or treat long-COVID means much more must be done before the threat posed by this pathogen is truly a thing of the past.

America’s chronic underinvestment in public health and disease prevention left it poorly prepared for the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the pandemic begins to wane, such mistakes are being repeated as public health spending is being cut back. A more proactive approach is needed to improve Americans’ health, increase the country’s readiness for the next pandemic, and free up funds to be spent on other priorities.

The spread of disinformation is akin to another pandemic, and poor communication and confusing, oft-changing advice from institutions like the US CDC make matters worse. Infectious disease expert William Haseltine looks at needful measures to rebuild trust, fight disinformation, and more effectively safeguard public health.

Issues of inadequate or missing data collection, and fragmented, incompatible health systems hampered the response to COVID-19 and threaten to do so in future outbreaks. Fortunately, several possible solutions could at least partly remedy this problem.