The year 2020 brought a challenge to the world in an unexpected way: the novel coronavirus, later officially named SARS-CoV-2, which swept across the globe, changing daily life, economies, and healthcare systems. Declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, COVID-19 led to widespread lockdowns, social distancing measures, and an urgent race to develop a vaccine.
The virus emerged in Wuhan, China, late in 2019. It continued to expand to nearly the entire globe by the early part of 2020, where governments quickly implemented very severe travel bans, including quarantine measures in virtually all parts of the world. In Italy, hospitals were overwhelmed and death tolls skyrocketed in March. Widespread impact rolled into the United States within a few weeks, and soon it became the most affected country by mid-year.
It touched almost every corner of life. Schools and universities went online, millions began working from home, and unemployment levels reached all-time highs. Events like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed. The entertainment, travel, and hospitality industries took a hit as cities went into shutdown mode to contain the virus.
The frontline heroes began to wear the faces of health care workers who treat patients in terribly crowded hospitals, risking their lives. Shortages of personal protective equipment were another weakness in global supply chains. Public health funding entered sharp focus.
Amid the mayhem, scientists across the globe united themselves to unravel and defeat this virus. Just a few months ago, pharmaceutical houses like Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca began to develop some vaccines using some of the very cutting-edge mRNA technology. By the end of the year, the first of these vaccines entered emergency use to give hope.
As the year 2020 ended, people grew accustomed to a “new normal.” Everyone wore a mask, while the terms “social distancing” and “flatten the curve” entered common usage. Even as it highlighted some of the sobering realities of inequalities that mark society, so too was resilience in humanity, in its solidarity and ingenuity, unveiled.
The lessons of 2020 are bound to define the future. This year reminded the world of global cooperation on issues that cannot be contained within a region-from the vaccine development to public health infrastructure.
