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5 years after COVID-19 became a pandemic, are we ready for what’s next?

Researchers reflect on lessons learned and shifts in managing the disease

A U.S. Army soldier wearing a mask and face shield injects a vaccine into a woman's arm.

A U.S. Army soldier immunizes a woman with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Miami on March 9, 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States excelled at bringing new, life-saving vaccines from the lab to the public. But experts now worry what the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization will mean for the future.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

By McKenzie Prillaman

Five years ago, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.