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Joan Wong

When will things go back to normal?

Ed Yong, our science reporter who wrote “How the Pandemic Will End,” is back, taking a closer look at that question. Here are just three takeaways from his analysis:

1. This virus isn’t going away anytime soon.

“The pandemic is not a hurricane or a wildfire,” Ed writes. “The SARS-CoV-2 virus will linger through the year and across the world.”

2. Even when the U.S. reopens, the fight won’t be over.

Hospitals will face new challenges and may be forced to reckon with future waves. America will need to stay vigilant and avoid falling into a panic-then-neglect cycle.

3. Steel yourself psychologically.

Vice Admiral James Stockdale was held as a prisoner of war during Vietnam. To survive the experience, Stockdale said he relied on a mix of hope (“the need for absolute, unwavering faith that you can prevail” ) and realism (“the discipline to begin by confronting the brutal facts, whatever they are”). The same strategy can be applied to this pandemic.

“The enemy isn’t going anywhere,” Ed reminds Americans. “To forget it would be to beget further horror.”