LAUSR

society (e.g., there are many ways to die or be harmed during a pandemic). Resilience is not ‘ limited to recovery, picking up the pieces after a crisis has occurred ’ and recovering the old normal 29 (p.1). It is also about recognizing the cracks in our systems and working proactively to change these systems so that necessary systems/mechanisms/ collaborations/infrastructure are in place for a new normal. Reducing strain and preserving function of our institutions and society, which will hopefully lead to better health and wellbeing for the community, may require the ability to change course on our metrics, plans, and so forth, amid dealing with the crisis. All of this starts with clearly ar-ticulated goals that are agreed upon by members of the community according to some commonly accepted framework by members of that community (e.g., democratically), and a process to change those goals if the current ones not longer suit the community. As men-tioned earlier, this can be facilitated by systems of accountability. Ultimately, resilience may be best achieved through a generally healthier population. As is the case with past pandemics, the severity and impact of Covid ‐ 19 was worse for those with significant co-morbidities, such as obesity, diabetes, and immunodeficiency brought on by other conditions (or therapies to treat those conditions). We also saw worse outcomes among those who suffer from inequities due to race, gender, income, geography, and so forth. 30 It can be said rea-sonably that some of the strategies to mitigate the pandemic intensified these inequities, resulting in further strain that is counterproductive to achieving resilience. Equity is an important concept in public health discourse. A fairer society may be the path to a more resilient one.