COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 7 million people across the world, to date, including over 1 million people in the U.S., according to the World Health Organization. In addition to this staggering death toll, the disease has unleashed a wave of chronic illness, and at the peak of the pandemic, it triggered widespread disruptions in supply chains and health care services that ultimately threatened or ended people's lives.
Since its emergence in 2019, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has had a tremendous impact on society. And yet, the next pandemic could potentially be even worse.
