I largely agree with this piece except to say there's always a degree of uncertainty about the future. HIV never went away on its own and remains a huge problem. SARS and MERS did go away. Influenza didn't but became manageable. We could stumble into a better future, in part because scientists don't fully understand COVID. That wouldn't negate your core points; it's just intellectual humility in the face of the unknowable. I tend to share your pessimism but not your certainty, if that makes sense.