The Covid-19 Pandemia has been the largest health crisis of the 21st century and has left us teachings that we should not ignore. The main lesson is clear: investing in health research offers tangible results. In November 2019 no one had heard of the SARS-COV-2, and in less than a year we already had vaccines. Never before had humanity developed and distributed a vaccine with such rapid z. This scientific milestone saved millions of lives and changed the course of pandemia. Hoy, Sars-Cov-2 has become a human coronavirus, causing respiratory infections throughout the year. We have witnessed in real time of the natural evolution of a virus: its jump from animals to the human being and its adaptation. Without vaccines, this story would have been very different. They were the key factor that allowed pandemic to contain and avoid even greater sanitary collapse. But Covid-19 left a deep mark. In Spain, life expectancy has been reduced from one to two years, and physical, psychological and social sequelae are incalculable. Persistent COVID remains a public health problem that we know very little: it affects thousands of people, deteriorates their quality of life and is a challenge for health systems. In addition, pandemic collapsed hospitals, delaying diagnoses and treatments of serious diseases, whose impact still persists. Beyond the virus, pandemic evidenced another problem: misinformation. The spread of bulos and distrust in science complicated the health response. It is not enough to develop effective vaccines; It is essential to strengthen scientific communication and recover confidence in institutions. The inequality in the global response was also evident: while some countries administered vaccine reinforcement dose, others did not even reach the first dose, reflecting the world health gap. During the crisis, many think we would be strengthened, with more resilient health systems. However, collective memory is fragile. We know that there will be another pandemic, because history has shown it, but we still do not prepare. The creation of a pandemics institute in our country is not an option, but a necessity. A reference center that anticipates threats, coordinate answers and guarantee investment in research would prevent us from reacting late. The COVID-19 crisis showed that improvisation costs lives. If we know there will be another pandemic, what are we waiting for? About the author José Luis del Pozo Director of the Services of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology University of Navarra
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