Five years ago this month, governments across Europe implemented unprecedented lockdowns in response to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. It brought home to us the risks we face and the costs of complacency and a lack of preparedness.

Five years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, infectious disease experts continue to draw on its lessons for future disasters.

A riveting episode from three unique perspectives on intervention strategies and the ongoing challenges posed by Sars-Cov-2, the virus behind one of the deadliest pandemics in recent history.

After surviving Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), some people develop symptoms known as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). PASC is an emerging phenomenon yet to be fully understood, and identifying risk factors has been challenging.

Despite the availability of updated seasonal influenza vaccines and treatments, annual influenza epidemics continue to cause millions of hospitalizations and substantial burden on health care systems.

By March, 2023, 54 countries, areas, and territories (hereafter CAT) in the WHO European Region had reported more than 2·2 million COVID-19-related deaths to the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

The recent global COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound and enduring impact, resulting in substantial loss of life.

Over nearly 2.5 years, most lives saved by COVID-19 vaccination were in older adults by first booster dose and during the Omicron period, reinforcing the importance of up-to-date vaccination among the most at-risk individuals.