Today's Opinions: As bad as covid-19 has been, a future pandemic could be worse — unless we act now

Nina Turner's loss in Ohio means Biden doesn't need to keep caving to the left ; Democrats haven't given up on their democracy-protection bill; The 'Cuomosexual' phenomenon was disgraceful. We're politicians' bosses, not their fans.; Andrew Cuomo's grotesque behavior was an assault on women — and on the idealism of public service; As delta cases rise, southern Ohio chooses to keep the masks on the shelf ; The delta variant is surging. How should that change how we live?; The lesson from Ohio: Democrats want to fight Trump, not Biden ; Be careful about covid-19 optimism. There are still plenty of ways for things to go wrong.; The eviction moratorium exacerbates America's institutional disarray; Glenn Youngkin's policy rollout is overshadowed by the 'big lie'; Are 11 women's voices worth less than one New York governor? ; The CDC's eviction mortarium is almost certainly illegal ; Is Biden serious about fighting for democracy? Egypt will be a decisive test.; The only way out of this delta variant misery is through vaccinations; This is the moment for Biden to take a bold stand against dictators; Turkey's wildfires tell a devastating story of neglect and failure; Biden's careful approach to Iraq is built on all that's absent in Afghanistan ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Your morning dose of Post commentary and guest opinions.       By Robert Gebelhoff Assistant editor  Email Eric Lander, President Biden's science adviser, has written a crucial warning about a long-term condition that could arise following the pandemic: "collective amnesia." How terrible would it be for society to trudge through the horrible experience of the past year and half without having internalized its essential lessons? Such an outcome, Lander explains, could be "disastrous." Some scary facts from Lander to consider: "The virus behind covid-19 is far less deadly than the 1918 influenza. The virus also belongs to a well-understood family, coronaviruses. It was possible to design vaccines within days of knowing the virus's genetic code because 20 years of basic scientific research had revealed which protein to target and how to stabilize it. … Unfortunately, most of the 26 families of viruses that infect humans are less well understood or harder to control." That humanity would face another pandemic was inevitable. It always is. The time to prepare for the next one is now. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) As bad as covid-19 has been, a future pandemic could be worse — unless we act now Investing today to guard against future health emergencies would give us a chance to not only stockpile but also transform our capabilities. By Eric Lander ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Nina Turner's loss in Ohio means Biden doesn't need to keep caving to the left Shontel Brown won an upset victory on Tuesday in an Ohio special election by embracing President Biden and celebrating his brand of incrementalism. By James Hohmann ●  Read more »   Get breaking news alerts, offline reading lists and more. Download the app   Democrats haven't given up on their democracy-protection bill Behind the scenes, the work continues. By Greg Sargent ●  Read more »   The 'Cuomosexual' phenomenon was disgraceful. We're politicians' bosses, not their fans. Fandom is about worship. Citizenship is about accountability. By Alyssa Rosenberg ●  Read more »   Andrew Cuomo's grotesque behavior was an assault on women — and on the idealism of public service "My time in public service ended because he was bored and lonely," one victim said. "It still breaks my heart." By Karen Tumulty ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   As delta cases rise, southern Ohio chooses to keep the masks on the shelf Among things made clear since covid-19 arrived are the stark differences in attitudes among Americans about questions that run deeper than the pandemic By Gary Abernathy ●  Read more »   The delta variant is surging. How should that change how we live? When deciding which activities to engage in, vaccinated people should consider two factors: the medical risk of your household and the value of the activities to you. By Leana Wen ●  Read more »   The lesson from Ohio: Democrats want to fight Trump, not Biden Progressives deliver far more as critics who are also allies of the president. By E.J. Dionne ●  Read more »   Be careful about covid-19 optimism. There are still plenty of ways for things to go wrong. A variant that is deadlier or escapes vaccine immunity is a realistic possibility. By William Haseltine ●  Read more »   The eviction moratorium exacerbates America's institutional disarray Amid clamoring for yet another extension, we shall see whether this episode validates the axiom that there is nothing as permanent as a temporary government program. By George F. Will ●  Read more »   Glenn Youngkin's policy rollout is overshadowed by the 'big lie' He had the chance to put a stake through the QAnon cancer coursing through the GOP and didn't. By Norman Leahy ●  Read more »     Editorial Cartoons Are 11 women's voices worth less than one New York governor? State Attorney General Letitia James releases a 165-page report which found New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed eleven current and former state employees and also created a hostile work environment for women. By Ann Telnaes ●  Read more »     The Post's View The CDC's eviction mortarium is almost certainly illegal Mr. Biden does not get a pass on the rule of law because his heart is in the right place. By Editorial Board ●  Read more »   Is Biden serious about fighting for democracy? Egypt will be a decisive test. The United States should withhold aid until the regime eases its repression. By Editorial Board ●  Read more »   The only way out of this delta variant misery is through vaccinations Let's confront delta directly and wear our masks and get vaccinated. By Editorial Board ●  Read more »     Global Opinions This is the moment for Biden to take a bold stand against dictators Biden should explain to Americans and the world that he will be a pro-democracy president. By Brian Klaas ●  Read more »   Turkey's wildfires tell a devastating story of neglect and failure Having long misdirected resources to foreign military adventures and mega infrastructure projects, the government failed to deliver in a time of need. By Asli Aydintasbas ●  Read more »   Biden's careful approach to Iraq is built on all that's absent in Afghanistan The administration pursues a low-cost, sustainable way to maintain U.S. power along a strategic fault line. By David Ignatius ●  Read more »     Try our new daily mini meta crossword It's a week-long adventure that connects a daily 5x5 mini puzzle with a special reveal on Saturdays. Play game   We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Follow Sergio Peçanha for email alerts every time Sergio publishes a new opinion column. Sign up »

Manage my email newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe from Opinions A.M. | Privacy Policy | Help You received this email because you signed up for Opinions A.M. or because it is included in your subscription. ©2021 The Washington Post | 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071

Related Keyword: