On Saturday, the world will begin its third pandemic year. What began for many of us in March of 2020 merely as (many thought) a temporary inconvenience, quickly blossomed into so much more.

So much has changed since those pre-Covid days that it’s hard to remember just what life was like. The stadiums filled with people attending concerts and sporting events. The busy stores around the holidays. The packed bars and restaurants. People going about their daily lives without a concern.

Three years ago, if you saw someone wearing a mask enter a convenience store or bank, you might think that you were witnessing the beginnings of a robbery. Now, we don’t give it a second thought.

There is the human cost to consider. More than 810,000 have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. in the past 22 months. Worldwide, that figure is close to 5.4 million. And that doesn’t take into account those who have survived and continue to suffer what has been called “long Covid”—the fatigue, muscle weakness...