Thankfully it appears the vaccines will be effective if enough people get them for life to return to normal soon.
"Just a few weeks to flatten the curve" was a once in a generational play. I did my bit, and so far I've been punished for it.
I really hope for our sake it doesn't come down to this again, because this time it really will be a bloodbath, rather than a particularly bad year or two.
You are absolutely correct that there might not be "next time" even if that means humanity's doom.
Careless reasoning risks under reacting just as much as over reacting.
I've read a study in my home country about children suffering from bronchopneumonia (I was one of them) at early age and how does that affect their adult life -- and how much does it reduce their life expectancy (especially in terms of increasing the chance of pulmonary diseases in elder years).
I mean, all diseases are awful -- especially those that leave lasting negative effects.
The whole thing seemed to turn into a campaign to gain political capital at one point. Enforcement was loose, rules changed many times (the WHO organization didn't help matters there), and data gathering was unreliable for months.
What are we to do? Just bow our heads and pretend that the people in power are oracles? I am willing to obey well-informed decisions but at least where I live clear facts were extremely hard to get throughout at least half the 2020.
I don't necessarily disagree with you -- making this clear here. It's just that the pandemic was handled in a rather totalitarian manner and results have been... questionable.
:(