Once, the battle against pandemics was a shared struggle, guided by science and collective responsibility. We listened to epidemiologists, trusted vaccines, and took precautions not just for ourselves but for society as a whole. Now, five years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, a disturbing shift has taken place. Misinformation has crept into the mainstream, distorting reality and undermining public health.
The dangerous narrative gaining traction suggests that the problem wasn’t the virus, but the response. This is an outright rejection of reality. COVID-19 was an unprecedented global crisis that killed millions, overwhelmed healthcare systems, and permanently altered lives. The response, though imperfect, was driven by scientific consensus and the urgent need to save as many people as possible. Yet, certain political figures—primarily on the populist right—have pushed an alternate history in which lockdowns, vaccines, and masks were the true villains.
This narrative is not just misleading but reckless. The mRNA vaccines prevented millions of deaths. Multiple studies confirmed that masks reduced transmission. Social distancing worked. These were not arbitrary measures but scientifically-backed interventions, refined through past pandemics and real-time data analysis. Were mistakes made? Of course. Science operates in a state of evolving understanding. But that is a far cry from the deliberate rewriting of history taking place today.
Take the case of Anthony Fauci. Once revered as a trusted scientific voice, he has been vilified to the point of requiring security protection. The hostility toward him is not based on evidence but on political expediency. Meanwhile, funding for infectious disease research is drying up, precisely when we need it most. The Trump administration’s efforts to weaken the NIH and pull the U.S. out of the WHO are short-sighted and dangerous. Diseases do not care about political ideologies. The next pandemic will not wait for us to sort out our internal squabbles.
The threat is real. Zoonotic diseases are emerging at an increasing rate due to factors like deforestation and climate change. Bird flu (H5N1) has already jumped from animals to humans multiple times. It is only a matter of time before a highly transmissible strain emerges. Instead of preparing for that eventuality, we are allowing misinformation to erode trust in the very systems designed to protect us.
One of the most glaring failures of the pandemic response was the neglect of social cohesion. Governments focused on case numbers but failed to support community efforts. Mutual aid groups flourished, yet official policies often hindered rather than helped them. Instead of learning from this, the loudest voices are now fixated on demonizing the very measures that saved lives.
The question we must ask is: What happens when the next pandemic arrives? Will we be better prepared, or will we allow conspiracy theories and political opportunism to guide our response? Science should not be a partisan issue. It is our best tool for survival. We need to have a serious discussion about strengthening our health systems, improving pandemic preparedness, and ensuring equitable access to life-saving interventions. But first, we must drown out the noise of those who would rather rewrite history than learn from it.