Fauci says more masks. Another year, at least, he says. In the meantime, Americans—lawyers among them—will continue to lose lives, jobs and dreams to the growing pandemic. Everywhere, futures are shattering. On countless fronts there is cause for concern. Real, global, cataclysmic disaster may still await us.

In the face of that, there is great reason for hope. The vaccines' efficacy against the various variants of COVID-19 demonstrates the possibility of eliminating this existential threat to humankind in a fraction of a generation. That had been unthinkable until now. To succeed, we must optimize this potential. Unfortunately, our astonishing potential for progress is matched by our astounding potential for self-destruction.