"The astounding speed and global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was unforeseen when the first cases of this illness were reported in December 2019 from Wuhan, China. By the end of January 2020, nearly 8000 cases had been reported globally from 19 countries and the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It soon became apparent this was not going to be a focal or controllable outbreak. In the 2 years that have followed, the world has truly been turned upside down with countless severe disruptions to life and economies worldwide. The challenges to the healthcare systems in high, middle, and low-income countries alike have been enormous. The strain on individuals and institutions has been dealt with by interventions of varying success. The mental and physical health of workers has been a prime focus in the global response to the pandemic. The scientific community has responded rapidly, if imperfectly at times, to death and disability imposed by SARS-CoV-2. Important and dramatic advances in care of critically ill inpatients have been made, primarily using potent anti-inflammatory interventions such as glucocorticoids and tocilizumab. Multiple effective vaccines have been developed with record speed using multiple different vaccine platforms, and have been disseminated globally. Much work still needs to be done combatting vaccine hesitancy worldwide and providing the vaccines in the developing world"-- Provided by publisher.