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COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, according to the World Health Organization. But for millions of Americans, myself included, who continue to live with the sometimes debilitating effects of long COVID — symptoms that last for weeks, months, or even years after a COVID infection — the end is nowhere in sight. (Kimberly Atkins Stohr, 5/11)

Following his recent retirement, Dr. Anthony Fauci reflected on his government role during the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked about the high per capita COVID-19 death rate in the U.S., Fauci replied, “Something clearly went wrong. And I don’t know exactly what it was. But the reason we know it went wrong is that we are the richest country in the world, and on a per capita basis we’ve done worse than virtually all other countries. And there’s no reason that a rich country like ours has to have 1.1 million deaths. Unacceptable.” (Cory Franklin, 5/11)

After three long and difficult years, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency ends Thursday. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus emergency was over globally the week before, and earlier this year California ended its pandemic state of emergency. But make no mistake: The emergency response may have ended, but COVID-19 is still with us. (5/11)

The coronavirus pandemic is here to stay, but the national and global emergencies it set off are, by all official accounts, over. Last week, the World Health Organization declared an end to its “public health emergency of international concern,” and on Thursday, the public health emergency designation in the United States will also expire. It’s a good time for the country to absorb the crisis’s many lessons. Instead, we seem to be actively forgetting them. (Jeneen Interlandi, 5/11)

Nearly 380 times as many people have died in the United States from covid-19 than from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Those killings sparked sweeping reforms to defend Americans from violence. In contrast, little has been done to make the country less vulnerable to deadly pathogens. (Amy Maxmen, 5/10)

Lab accidents happen, and they aren’t especially rare. A 2014 USA Today investigation by Alison Young, whose book “Pandora’s Gamble: Lab Leaks, Pandemics, and a World At Risk” is a shocking accounting of the problem, identified more than a thousand accidents reported to federal regulators from 2008 to 2012. (David Wallace-Wells, 5/10)

While the public health emergency expires today, many states have already announced you can leave your mask at home when you go to the doctor. In fact, way back in September the CDC stopped recommending universal masking in health care settings (in areas where community transmission is not high). But as a pediatrician, I’ll be keeping my mask on, and I want you to do it, too. (Ada Fenick MD, 5/11)