Editorial

Abstract

A year ago the world heard for the first time of a viral disease that was beginning its spreading process, without knowing that in a few months it would have the world on its knees, fighting against a disease for which we were not prepared. The pandemic, which with the first vaccinations in some countries and the potential vaccines under study in other latitudes seems to begin the path of the end, has taught us many lessons. However, one of the main ones will possibly be the first one we will abandon when the world returns to the normality we were used to before December 2019. Scientific research was criticized and attacked from multiple angles by people who do not have the expertise or knowledge to elevate your voice in relation to topics as complex as diagnostic tests or novel treatments The desire to have a magic solution that cures the affected person without a single adverse event, the need to have a test that allows knowing who was infected in a matter of seconds and the interests Politics and personalities of some individuals who took advantage of the current situation to move their own agendas created a volatile amalgam that will leave an unpredictable trail of suspicion, mistrust and mistrust in the scientific profession for years. For months we have seen them discuss and argue their positions from very public platforms, using items of dubious quality as weapons and data presented in the way that best suits them (classic examples of cherry picking) to sow doubt and defend their opinions. Their voices, shouts that bordered on harangues of war, were reluctant to accept the available evidence. Researchers of recognized prestige volunteered to face them, without any success. A year has passed since this pitched struggle and where are we? Where do we start? Without having a medicine that serves to prevent or treat and waiting for the arrival of the vaccine that will allow us to remove our masks and breathe the pure air that surrounds us, without fear that it will be saturated with viral particles. We hope that day will come soon and that, at the twilight of this pandemic, some glimmer of common sense allows us to see the world that we had to live in its proper measure. Perhaps then we can see the extent of our errors and generate the necessary changes so that they do not happen again.