Americans have entered a new, disheartening phase of the pandemic: when they realize that Covid-19 is not disappearing anytime soon. A country that had been waiting for the virus to be over has been forced to recalibrate.

“We can’t expect it to go away where we never have to think about it anymore,” said Emily Martin, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan. “We’ve seen that it ebbs and flows. Sometimes we need to be more vigilant than others.”…

Stephen Silva, 65, a taxi and limousine driver, said that since the onset of the pandemic, he has been “cautious in every possible way” — wearing a mask, getting vaccinated and avoiding large gatherings.

Through it all, the goal he kept in mind was returning to some semblance of normal. Now, he said, he is starting to lose hope.

“I don’t know when, or if ever, life is going to get back to the way we knew it,” Mr. Silva said.