The coronavirus pandemic has turned life upside down in the US and across the world. A year after it started, life is in the early stages of returning to normal. Millions of Americans are receiving vaccinations each day, helping the economy to reopen. But we are not out of the woods yet, especially as coronavirus variants spread and some state governors are abandoning basic precautions including wearing masks and social-distancing.

The Biden administration and Democrats in Congress have rightly focused attention and resources on the pandemic and its related economic fallout. However, it is important to consider the ways in which we failed to prepare for and anticipate the pandemic.