Gates Package — page 1184

er Come, visit us WE ARE REOPENING We follow precautionary measures for your safety 2021 has been a year of big transitions for me, but it hasn't changed why I love the work I do. As it comes to a close, I wanted to sit down and write about four things that are top of mind heading into 2022: the latest progress toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic, why decreased trust in institutions might be the biggest obstacle standing in our way, what the climate conversation can teach us about making progress, and how the rapid digitization brought on by the pandemic will shape our future. Why I'm hopeful the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is finally in sight In my previous end-of-year post, I wrote that I thought we'd be able to look back and say that 2021 was an improvement on 2020. While I do think that's true in some ways--billions of people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and the world is somewhat closer to normal-- the improvement hasn't been as dramatic as I hoped. More people died from COVID in 2021 than in 2020. If you're one of the millions of people who lost a loved one to the virus over the last twelve months, you certainly don't think this year was any better than last. Because of the Delta variant and challenges with vaccine uptake, we're not as close to the end of the pandemic as I hoped by now. I didn't foresee that such a highly transmissible variant would come along, and I underestimated how tough it would be to convince people to take the vaccine and continue to use masks. I am hopeful, though, that the end is finally in sight. It might be foolish to make another prediction, but I think the acute phase of the pandemic will come to a close some time in 2022. (Left) A barista announces the reopening of her coffee shop. (Getty Images) (Right) Employees practice safety procedures at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/Getty Images)