SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, will remain a global infection for the foreseeable future. We will not likely reach herd immunity: Vaccination confidence is not universal, global vaccine rollouts are struggling and have not been rapid enough, and the virus continues to mutate, producing variants that may eventually lessen the effectiveness of current vaccines. The designation as an acute pandemic will give rise to a more permanent situation — an endemic virus, one that ebbs and flows, perhaps in a seasonal pattern similar to influenza, but one that will never fully disappear from our landscape. To avoid larger outbreaks, we will need to take precautions when levels are high in our own communities, when we choose to go to crowded indoor venues, when we travel to areas having escalating cases of infection, or when a new variant becomes common. Although mask-wearing will likely be our individual choice, many of us will and should choose to do so — and because masks protect both the wearer and those around the wearer, we may want others to wear a mask in those same circumstances. Many people in our families and communities live with chronic illnesses or may be on long-term medications that suppress their immune systems, putting them at risk for both a worse outcome from COVID-19 and a less robust immune response from the vaccine.