Opportunities Lost:
New strains of the virus and uneven
responses to vaccines delayed the
world’s return to normal.
BY BIJAL P. TRIVEDIIT WAS SUPPOSED to be a
triumphant year, the year we defeated
COVID-19. Revolutionary vaccines—
developed at breakneck speed from
genetic technology decades in the
making— were rolling out, ushering
in the largest global immunization
campaign in history. Lockdowns, iso-
lation, masking, and sparsely attended
funerals would give way to open bor-
ders, family reunions, and rebounding
economies. In 2021 life would return
to normal.
What we didn’t know, though, was
that the vaccination drive would falter.
In the United States, millions spurned
vaccines despite a deadly winter surge
followed by another in the summer.
Scientists making discoveries and
adjusting recommendations aroused
suspicion. Misinformation and snake oil
spread as rapidly as the virus. Vaccines
were denounced as a form of govern-
ment control; masks a violation of
personal liberty. In much of the world,
by contrast, immunizations were
simply, tragically, unavailable.
As we squandered the opportunity
to reach herd immunity, the virus took
advantage. SARS-CoV-2 multiplied,
yielding countless mutations. With
each genetic change came a chance
for the virus to grow deadlier—to dodge
the immune system, infect cells more
easily, trigger more severe disease,
spread across borders. We were at the
mercy of high-speed natural selection.
Thus began the rise of the variants:
Alpha, in the United Kingdom; Beta,
in South Africa; Gamma, in Brazil; and
then, from India, Delta.
More infectious and possibly more34 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC