COVID-19 retreats and world recovers: A silver lining in the dark cloud

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which the World Health Organization classified as the Sixth Public Health Emergency Of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, is no longer a PHEIC. Millions were affected due to unawareness. The increase in fatalities and shortage of medicine was the first outrage of COVID-19. As per the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 resource center database, it was observed that the disease has spread dynamically across 200+ nations worldwide affecting more than 600 million people from 2019 to 2023, and over thousands of people were victimized regularly at a 2% mortality rate (approx.). In the midway, the mutant variants of concern like omicron, and delta have also created havoc and caused significant impact on public health, global economy, and lifestyle. Since 2019, 3 years now passed and the dynamic disease statistics seem decelerated; moreover, the prevalence of COVID-19 is also fading. The Johns Hopkins resource center has also stopped recording the data of the global pandemic recently from March 10, 2023. Hence, based on the facts, we are presenting a concise report on the pandemic from 2019 to 2023, which includes a brief discussion of the global pandemic. We have highlighted global epidemiology, emphasizing the Indian COVID scenario, vaccination across the globe, and the psychosocial and geopolitical consequences of COVID-19 with a brief background to pathology, clinical management, and the worldwide response against triage. A lot has changed and still needs to change after three tough years of COVID-19. Even though science has progressed and advanced research in medicine is pointing toward future generations, there is no standard care supplied for COVID-19-like calamities. COVID-19 cases might have declined but its influence on the society is still stagnant. This COVID experience has taught us that, despite our bleak beginnings, there is always hope for the future and that we must act with foresight to improve things for future generations. Coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has spread across 200+ countries in a very short time span. Many have died and many are getting infected daily. But the rate has slowed down now. Improved pharmacotherapeutics and immunization with precautionary protocols have diminished its impact across the globe. The work focuses on highlighting the disease epidemiology and its socioeconomic, geopolitical, and health impact from 2019 to 2023. (Graphical abstract is created with ) image