Many countries have been hit by COVID, but few fared as poorly as the U.S. Its death rate surpassed that of any other large, wealthy nation. The Biden administration placed its bets on a vaccine-strategy, rather than the multilayered protections many experts called for. Even then America lagged behind other wealthy countries in vaccinating its citizens—especially the elderly who are the most vulnerable. The U.S. experienced the largest decline in life expectancy in 2020 and it was also the only country whose lowered life span was driven mainly by deaths among people under 60. Dying from COVID robbed each American of about a decade of life on average. As a whole, U.S. life expectancy fell by two years—the largest such decline in almost a century. Neither World War II nor any of the flu pandemics dented longevity so badly. Were you aware America was doing so badly?

Every American who died of COVID left an average of nine close relatives bereaved. Roughly 9 million people—3 percent of the population—now have a permanent hole in their world that was once filled by a parent, child, sibling, spouse, or grandparent. An estimated 149,000 children have lost a parent or caregiver. Many people were denied the familiar rituals of mourning—bedside goodbyes, in-person funerals. Others are grieving raw and recent losses, their grief trampled amid the stampede toward normal. Multiple people didn't get to bury their parents or be with their families, and now are expected to go back to the grind of work. People are not being given the space individually or societally to mourn this huge thing that's happened. Have you had to grieve or wanted to grieve but have been unable to?

The CDC issued guidelines that allowed most Americans to dispense with indoor masking when at least 1,000 people had been dying of COVID every day for almost six straight months. If the U.S. faced half a year of daily hurricanes that each took 1,000 lives, it is hard to imagine that the nation would throw caution to the wind. Why, then, is COVID different? Perhaps the threat—a virus—is invisible, hidden from public view. No floodwaters or smoking buildings. Even though 3 percent of Americans have lost a close family member to COVID, that means 97 percent have not. A tragedy shared by the nation seems to have less impact that one that impacts a specific location or demographic.. Perhaps It began to feel normal, especially as it has dragged on for more than 3 years now. Has COVID become part of normal life in a similar way that TB and other illnesses were part of life more than 100 years ago?