The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how quickly life can change. That's evident in people's personal lives and across the scientific community. Remarkable advances have been made in science over the past year, guided by international research collaborations.

"When you look at nine months from when we first identified this pathogen to having a vaccine, that's as close to a human miracle, if I could use that term, as as one could expect," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group.

But he says there have been some frustrations. "As soon as we make some progress, everybody wants to open up and relax restrictions," says Dr. Poland. "Opening up and getting back to normal is not a light switch."

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland talks about lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that vaccinations aren't enough to beat the COVID-19 virus and variants. He also says that communicating science and public health messaging needs to improve in the future.
Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.