基于COVID-19在114个国家的传播和惊人的高病死率, the declaration came with a caveat: with detection, testing, treating, isolating, tracing and mobilizing a response, we could change the course of this pandemic. At that time in the United States, there were 1,762 cases. 今天，我们有超过2900万例病例，528,829人丧生. We have seen the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations, and many Americans have lost their jobs, income and housing. 人们的家庭关系受到破坏，并因这种疾病失去了家庭成员. 人员伤亡和下游后果-与许多逃避常规医疗护理的人有关, 常规免疫接种和癌症筛查——将对身心健康产生累积影响. This impact will likely be seen for many years to come.

儿童，虽然不太可能患严重疾病，但现在占了超过3%.2 million – or 13.2% – of the COVID-19 cases across our country. The pandemic has taken an enormous toll on our youngest, 他们中的大多数人无法亲自上学，与家人和朋友隔绝. Children have lost multiple family members, many are food-insecure, 所有人都至少在一定程度上遭受了大流行带来的毒性压力. 这一结果现在表现为因心理健康和行为投诉而去急诊室就诊的人数增加. In our community, 我们刚刚开始恢复对密苏里州和堪萨斯州公立学校的学生进行至少部分的面对面教育. 在大多数情况下，虚拟和面对面学习的混合仍然是今天的常态. 到学年结束时，儿童在学习上的累计损失平均可达5-9个月. And for students of color, who lack internet, devices and appropriate places to study, the loss could be as much as 12 months. 我们必须投资于弥合这一差距，确保每个孩子都有成功的机会.

As the pandemic unfolded, we were forced to make changes, 适应并快速发展这是我们医学院50年历史上从未有过的. 我们为满足学生需求和确保教学质量而进行的课程创新感到自豪, supervision and assessment. We kept student advancement our top focus. 我们为2020年毕业的学生庆祝——他们是第一个用虚拟选修课完成医学院学业的学生——用一个完全虚拟的比赛日和一个完全虚拟的毕业典礼，把他们送到住院医师项目，加入护理的第一线. Even as we brought back students to clinical rotations last summer, 我们继续用虚拟的生物医学科学课程，由有才华的教师教授, too, 在亲自应对疫情的同时，是否在学习优化虚拟学习. We saw flexibility and resilience from all of our students, staff and faculty to move forward all students – medical students, 医师助理和麻醉助理学生-在他们的医疗旅程. Our senior students who will celebrate Match Day next Friday, with a virtual ceremony, 他们会加入我们的医疗社区，在新时代与他们的医师助理和麻醉助理同事一起接受住院医师培训吗. 

Now, 下周五，我们将和高年级学生一起庆祝比赛日——同样是一个虚拟的仪式——标志着他们步入医学界，在新时代接受住院医师培训.  

There are many reasons to be encouraged. The pace of disease has slowed, and we are seeing the lowest number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths since last spring. 预测模型显示，三分之一的人口具有天然免疫力——以我们已知的病例数量为例, 结合无症状感染者的估计人数. 一些专家认为，SARS - CoV-2可能具有季节性，夏季可能会产生自然缓解. 此外，我们欢迎COVID-19疫苗时代的到来——这条清晰的道路将导致阻止这种致命病毒传播所必需的群体免疫. Today, 我们目前有三种疫苗已获得紧急使用授权，它们都证明有能力减少严重疾病和死亡. Nearly 19% of the U.S. population has received a first dose of vaccine and 2.17 million doses are being administered every day as of March 4, 2021. While vaccine supply is not yet ready to meet demand, we expect enough vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson by end of April to fully vaccinate more than 200 million adults. That would put us on pace to have 50% of the population vaccinated by May 25. 在提供公平获得疫苗接种方面仍然存在巨大的后勤挑战, 65岁及以上的人中约有一半尚未接种疫苗. We need to prioritize getting vaccines to our seniors, 因为我们知道，年龄是COVID-19住院和死亡率的预测指标. When compared to someone 30 years of age, it’s a 100 times greater risk for death in those 65 and older, a 1,000 times greater risk of death in those 75 and older, and a 10,000 times greater risk of death for those who are 85 and older. 即使在我们向更多符合条件的人群开放准入的同时，确保这一人群的准入和减少后勤挑战也至关重要.

As we vaccinate more and more Americans, 美国疾病控制与预防中心本周提供了新的指导:那些完全接种疫苗的人可以安全地与家人和朋友聚会. At the same time, experts are still recommending restrictions on travel. 这一警告与疫苗变异病毒在美国传播的增加有关.S. and the plateau of cases seen in many states. 这可能预示着另一场疾病的激增，即使我们似乎正处于复苏的尖端. 疫苗制造商已经在提供加强疫苗或多病毒疫苗以应对变异传播所需的工作上取得进展.

So, on this day, 大流行以我们从未想象过的方式扰乱了我们所有人的生活, know that we will return to normal. 要知道，我们越来越接近把大流行抛在脑后的那个时刻.