Entering the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, more than people have been infected and the virus has killed more than globally. Efforts many countries took to stamp out the pneumonia-like illness led to entire nations enforcing lockdowns, widespread halts of international travel, mass layoffs and battered financial markets. New variants of the virus have led to new waves of cases, though effective vaccines, new drugs and improved care are reducing the consequences for those who get sick.
With Covid-19 now widespread around the globe, waves of disease have come and gone through every continent. Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia have all faced cycles of outbreaks, driven in part by new variants of the virus that have proven more transmissible.
Vaccines have protected recipients from the worst consequences of illness, but access to the shots remains inequitable around the globe, even as many wealthier nations begin giving booster doses to their citizens.
Early in the pandemic, countries took drastic measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 on their homefront—including travel bans, school closures and restrictions on public gatherings and business activity. As countries have loosened public health restrictions in an effort to reboot their economies, many have seen a resurgence of infections. Even places that successfully contained outbreaks, like China and South Korea, have seen cases bubble back up.
Public health experts no longer talk about the elimination of SARS-CoV-2. Instead, the disease is likely to become endemic—no longer a crisis, but still a seasonal threat. Vaccines provide broad protection to most, and new treatments can reduce risk for people who get infected. But the virus is expected to be around for the foreseeable future, and as long as it circulates there is always the possibility of new mutations and more surges of new infections.