Interesting piece, as usual Umair. Several notable facts but also some sweeping inaccurate generalizations. For example, your last paragraph:

"Yes, we’re still bungling Covid. The myths are still out there, and they’re worse than ever. No, Covid’s not over. In fact, right about now? We’re at the peak of another cycle of Covidiocy, and it’s just going to start all over again, like an endless wheel. You know what they say about people who don’t learn from their mistakes? Right about now, that’s us, and especially our incompetent leaders, who put politics over science, ensuring that the pandemic never ends".

Well, the myths out there are not worse than ever. The exponents of the myths may be more vocal—if at ll— but the myths have reached their maturation peaks.

Are our leaders incompetent? I don't think so. Most of them are certainly following the science and trying to do the right thing for their constituents. Few of them, I grant you are putting politics ahead of science and that is certainly regrettable.