Five Years After the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Have We Learned? 

It's been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Where are we now?

We Were Mislead About COVID-19's Origins: A New York Times Opinion (Left bias) columnist detailed how scientists at EcoHealth Alliance, which collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, hid or understated facts to keep the likelihood of a lab leak under wraps. The lab leak, once considered by some a racist conspiracy, has been backed by the Department of Energy and CIA as the most likely origin, though they report low confidence in that finding, and other agencies remain undecided. Fox News (Right) and ZeroHedge (Lean Right) featured commentary on the NYT piece, saying the NYT was once a part of the group misleading the public about COVID-19's origins. 

The Effects of COVID-19: According to Pew Research (Center)...

• 72% of Americans say COVID-19 did more to drive the country apart.
• 47% say the way people behave in public these days is ruder than before the pandemic.
• Republicans are more likely to say COVID-19 now is no worse than a cold or flu, and Democrats are more likely to be worried we aren't taking it seriously enough.
• 79% of Democrats say public health officials’ pandemic response was excellent or good, while 35% of Republicans agree.
• 62% of Republicans say there should have been fewer pandemic restrictions in their area, while 15% of Democrats agree.
• 80% of Republicans say the media greatly or slightly exaggerated the risks, while 30% of Democrats agree. 54% of Americans say the news media exaggerated the risks of COVID-19 at least slightly. 
• 73% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans think the public health system in the U.S. would do a good job dealing with a future health emergency. But more Republicans (68%) express confidence in their own communities to respond well.

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