From March 2020 on, all of us looked to the future with hope in our eyes, searching desperately for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Finally, thanks to an aggressive government response, the miracles of modern science, and the wise actions of many, that light has arrived.

It has not arrived without cost: Roughly 600,000 Americans, 27,000 Pennsylvanians, and 860 residents of Lehigh County lost their lives.

Millions were sickened. Billions of lives were impacted.

That being said, it would be a disgrace to the memory of those gone and the economic havoc wrought if we didn’t stop and reflect.

This time period of our lives may be coming to an end, but the scars of COVID-19 will always be with us. What lessons can we learn for how to rebuild our society into something better?

Here are some thoughts:

Science is real: Doctors, medical professionals and scientists helped us find the way out of this.

They told us to keep our distance. To wear masks. To wash our hands. And then to get vaccinated.

Of course, the evidence hasn’t always been clear. Of course, science evolves. But there is no question about it: The miracle of science has led us out of this pandemic.

It allows me to hug my senior parents without being worried I’d accidentally kill them. It let my kids jump-tackle my in-laws when they were two weeks post-vaccinated.

It’s why we’re almost through this thing.

Public health infrastructure matters: One of the things I realized very early in this pandemic was how lucky we are in Lehigh County, Allentown and South Whitehall.

We have two of the biggest health networks in Pennsylvania in our backyard. We also have the incredible Allentown Health Bureau and its exceptional public health infrastructure.

The work they did in terms of treatment, vaccine distribution and prevention saved lives. Going forward, we should look to expand the Allentown Health Bureau into a countywide operation.

Government matters: There is an old expression: In a crisis, we all become socialists.

We certainly saw that during COVID-19. Stimulus payments, business loans and direct payments all were the difference between destitution and survival for millions.

Enhanced unemployment benefits kept families fed, in their homes and in school. Programs like the PPP loan helped businesses keep employees on payroll and keep their doors open.

Yes, this is my ideology coming through, but what we do in government matters. When we invest in people and administer programs wisely, we can positively impact all of our lives.

This may be the most serious public health crisis most of us have ever faced, but it won’t be the last.

What happens during the next pandemic? What happens when climate change finally becomes an unavoidable reality?

Will we use the lessons learned here? Will we invest smartly, act aggressively, be guided by science?

Or, will we burn masks and scorn the truth?

That choice is up to us. But I hope we can take the wisdom of COVID-19 and turn it into something better.

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Editor’s note: State Rep. Mike Schlossberg represents the 132nd Legislative District which includes Allentown’s Ward 6-2; Wards 8-3, 8-4, 8-5, 8-6 and 8-7; Wards 10-3 and 10-4; Wards 11-3, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 and 11-7; Wards 13-1, 13-2, 13-3 and 13-4; Ward 14-1; Wards 15-1, 15-2, 15-3 and 15-4; Ward 17 (1, 2, 3, 4, 4P); and Wards 18 (1, 2, 2P) and in South Whitehall, Wards 1, 2 and 7.