Since the creation of the Earth, bacteria, fungi, and viruses have been part of nature. Humans have been able to coexist and adapt to these organisms, even using them to treat potential infections and manufacture vaccines. Examples of the wide use of these organisms include the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming (1), fecal transplants to treat Clostridium difficile (2), the use of adenovirus vectors for gene cancer treatment and vaccines (3), and the use of bacteriophages to treat multidrug-resistant organisms (4).

Approximately every century, the world population suffers from a severe lethal pandemic. These pandemics usually last 2 to 3 years. Eventually, the microorganism becomes less virulent, vaccines and medications are developed, and the human body acquires immunity against the new pathogen.

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared an outbreak of a novel Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) that originated in Wuhan, China, a public health emergency of international concern (5). Multiple unanswered questions about the novel virus shook the world. Questions about the transmission rate, fatality rate, treatment options, and possible vaccine development had to be answered immediately. Human behavior drastically changed, and social isolation became the norm worldwide. Unfortunately, the necessary changes in human behavior introduced to lessen the propagation of the virus resulted in significant negative economic, social, and emotional impacts. Additionally, managing other chronic health illnesses, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, obesity, and psychiatric disorders, became more challenging, resulting in devastating consequences.

Eventually, several COVID-19 treatment options became available for outpatient and inpatient management (6), and multiple vaccines were developed to acquire passive immunity (7). Today, three years after the pandemic, and after more than 103 million cases of COVID-19 and over 1.1 million deaths in the United States, managing this lethal infection has finally changed the prognosis of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. The development of vaccines is attributed as the most significant impact leading to a reduction in mortality. Thanks to the new developments in treatment and vaccines, humans have returned to a semi-normal lifestyle with everyday social interactions.

Finally, COVID-19 has been added to the innumerable list of pandemic infections that have affected humankind, making us aware once again that the battle against infectious diseases is endless. This will not be the last pandemic, but humans have, once again, survived, adapted, and learned to live with one of the most lethal pathogens ever encountered. Hopefully, the lessons learned will persist until the next pandemic comes…

1. Geddes A. 80th Anniversary of the discovery of penicillin An appreciation of Sir Alexander Fleming. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2008;32(5):373.

2. Wang JW, Kuo CH, Kuo FC, Wang YK, Hsu WH, Yu FJ, et al. Fecal microbiota transplantation: Review and update. J Formos Med Assoc. 2019;118 Suppl 1:S23-s31.
3. Syyam A, Nawaz A, Ijaz A, Sajjad U, Fazil A, Irfan S, et al. Adenovirus vector system: construction, history and therapeutic applications. Biotechniques. 2022;73(6):297-305.
4. Chegini Z, Khoshbayan A, Taati Moghadam M, Farahani I, Jazireian P, Shariati A. Bacteriophage therapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms: a review. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2020;19(1):45.
5. Zhu H, Wei L, Niu P. The novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. Glob Health Res Policy. 2020;5:6.
6. . Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health (US); 2021.

7. Hadj Hassine I. Covid-19 vaccines and variants of concern: A review. Rev Med Virol. 2022;32(4):e2313.