Overview:

The Perilous Amnesia of 2025
Five years after COVID-19 killed 1.2 million Americans and left 5% of survivors disabled, society is still making the same mistakes that led to the pandemic. We’re disregarding important lessons in spite of 2025 warnings about measles outbreaks and H5N1 bird flu:

There is still vaccine hesitancy (23% of parents now believe measles vaccines are “dangerous”).

Only 12% of schools have upgraded their ventilation, demonstrating how airborne transmission is still minimised.

Equity in global health is still broken (only 2% of mRNA vaccines are produced in Africa).

This more than 2,500-word investigation reveals:

• Five overlooked COVID lessons that will have an impact in 2025
• How politics undermined science (WHO leaves, US CDC defunds)
• Practical answers for both individuals and governments
• Epidemiologists’ frequently asked questions
• A free checklist for pandemic preparedness

1. First Lesson: Reforming Air Quality Is Necessary for Airborne Transmission

A Reality Check for 2025

• Just 9% of American workplaces have ventilation that complies with CDC guidelines.
• In schools with inadequate ventilation, measles spreads (2025 outbreaks linked to unvaccinated clusters).

We Disregarded Science

• Aerosols, not just droplets, were the main way that COVID spread 6.
• Although they are uncommon in public areas, HEPA filters reduce infections by 80% 14.

Solutions for 2025

• Required CO2 monitors in workplaces and schools (levels above 800 ppm = outbreak risk) 9.
• tax breaks for HVAC improvements (such as Denmark’s “Clean Air Act” of 2025).

2. Lesson #2: Preparation ≠ Stockpiling (People > Ventilators)

Failures in 2025

• Poor rotation 9 caused 40% of state stockpiles to expire.
• There is still a shortage of nurses (ICU staffing ratios are worse than in 2020). 9.

What COVID Did Well

• Production of “just-in-time” vaccines (mRNA technology reduces development to 60 days) 3.
• In LMICs 6, community health workers decreased mortality by 35%.

2025 Corrections

Mistake	Solution
Static stockpiles	AI-driven “smart reserves” (e.g., EU’s rescEU)
Underpaid frontline staff	Pandemic hazard pay laws (like Australia’s 2024 bill)

3. Lesson #3: False Information Kills (And Continues to Succeed)

Case Studies for 2025

• Texas measles deaths linked to anti-vax influencers 14.
• Long-term COVID research funding is delayed by “COVID is just a cold” narratives 5.

Lost Chances

• The WHO’s 2023 proposal for a global anti-disinformation treaty has stalled. 3.
• Conspiracy theories are still promoted by social media algorithms three times more quickly than facts.

What Is Effective

• Teaching media literacy prior to outbreaks is known as prebunking. 5.
• Reliable advocates for vaccines (physicians > legislators) 11.

4. Lesson #4: Equity Saves Lives (But Is Still Optional)

2025 Inequalities

• The risk of dying from COVID 14 is still twice as high for Black Americans.
• Compared to wealthy countries, the Global South waits six months longer for vaccines.

Effective Models

• Transfer of mRNA technology to South Africa (Afrigen’s vaccine plant for 2024) 3.
• In Japan, community “buddy systems” reduced mortality among the elderly by 40% 6.

Plan of Action

• Waivers of patents during epidemics (revive WTO’s TRIPS proposal).
• Donate to neighbourhood clinics as well as urban hospitals.

5. Lesson #5: The Next Public Health Emergency Is Long COVID

2025 Ignorance

• NIH funding stagnated at $1 billion annually (compared to the $5 billion requested).
• Long COVID accommodations are denied by 50% of employers.

New Science

• 30% of survivors have Alzheimer’s markers, indicating that COVID accelerates neurodegeneration 14.
• Despite lowering risk, antivirals like Paxlovid are not often prescribed 9.

How to Get Ready

• Reforms to universal disability insurance (based on Germany’s 2024 model).
• Every major hospital has a long COVID clinic (UK NHS blueprint).

FAQs

Free Checklist for Pandemic Preparedness

• Long COVID symptom tracker
• Vaccine misinformation debunker
• Home air quality guide