The extremely contagious nature of the newest strains is in many ways a direct consequence of our global failure to contain it early on before it had so many chances to mutate. (eg how we did with MERS and the original SARS)

Asymptomatic spread and a lack of clarity on whether it was even "airborne" plagued our early efforts to contain it.

That being said, the lockdown-related learning loss is also a disaster, and one that will disproportionately impact disadvantaged kids and their communities.