| There was a time, in the early days of the covid-19 pandemic, when many people were counting on herd immunity to deliver us all from prolonged pain. With enough people vaccinated, or recovered from the coronavirus, we could relax, take off our masks, perhaps look forward to a return to the old normal — or a better normal. But John M. Barry, author of the acclaimed book "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History," argues that although soon, "likely before Christmas, 90 percent or more of the U.S. population will have considerable — but not perfect — immunity" to the virus, "even in the best of circumstances, covid-19 will continue to cause sickness and occasionally death." In his op-ed, Barry maps out several short- and medium-term scenarios, from best case — variants will keep emerging but "won't have significant impacts" — to worst: "A new variant would appear that generates enormous viral loads … and also evades the immune system," exposing "even populations that have achieved so-called herd immunity to a new round of risk." The best solution, as ever: Vaccinate as many people around the world as possible, as quickly as possible — and hope that over the long term, "evolutionary pressure," as Barry writes, can take the sting out of the virus at last.  (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg) How will the pandemic end? Not anytime soon. By John M. Barry ● Read more » | | | | Many of Democrats' supposedly bleeding-heart policies — child care, paid leave, worker retraining, more legal immigration — are also pro-growth. By Catherine Rampell ● Read more » | | | | We seem determined to find out. By Eugene Robinson ● Read more » | | | A comedy act that denies the reality of being Black and queer. By Brian Broome ● Read more » | | | | The former president's endorsements matter — both for candidates and for his own political future. By Henry Olsen ● Read more » | | | | The industry's desire for sympathetic treatment by government would stand on firmer ground if not for its own form of radicalism. By Lawrence H. Summers ● Read more » | | | | Trade with China hasn't created the problems for American workers that its detractors claim. By Fareed Zakaria ● Read more » | | | | Normalizing Assad won't end the war. By Josh Rogin ● Read more » | | | Drilling poses a bigger environmental and economic threat in California than it's worth. By Helaine Olen ● Read more » | | | | Given the stakes, the obsession with 2022 and 2024 is understandable. But it's a harmful development nonetheless. By Perry Bacon Jr. ● Read more » | | | |
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