As we approach a new presidency, a new Congress and new leaders in our health agencies, I am concerned that the sense of urgency about COVID-19 appears to have faded. The disease has not been discussed during the election season, even though it is an ongoing and developing public health threat.

I believe this is a dangerous mindset. The reality is that COVID-19 remains a unique and deadly threat for many people — it is not just another respiratory virus, and should not be treated as such by our leaders.

While I am the CEO and co-founder of biopharmaceutical InflaRx, I am also an intensive care physician and researcher active in the immunology field. I have worked in the ICU. The reality is clear: We may be done with COVID-19, but COVID-19 is not done with us.

The virus continues to cause fatalities, even outside of the traditional respiratory season. During the summer of 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that COVID-19 killed thousands, with about 4,200 reported deaths in August........

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