Living with SARS-CoV-2: A 6-year reflection on the pandemic’s ongoing impact and future implications

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be something of the past, but the virus is still here and causing disease. We are not genuinely back to “normal.” Are we taking the right actions to protect our populations? The evidence on SARS-CoV-2 reveals concerning information. The virus mutates at a high rate, giving rise to new variants infecting large parts of our populations several times a year. While acute illness is generally less severe today, we cannot be certain that future variants will have a similar virulence. In addition, the long-term sequelae observed in many organ systems suggest severe consequences, of which we have not yet seen the full magnitude. This article discusses coping mechanisms that may explain the disconnect between our knowledge and public health actions. It calls for multidisciplinary collaboration to identify sustainable and responsible ways to live with SARS-CoV-2.