A new virus transferred to humans (something that has happened forever), and those humans interacted with other people (of course). It was a mystery for a while (understandable), and then bad news was likely suppressed (bad, but common). Other countries thought it would be contained (standard denial) and didn’t act fast enough (bureaucracy). We weren’t prepared (overoptimism) and could respond only with blunt-force lockdowns (panic, do what you gotta do). None of those on their own are surprising. But combined they turned into a disaster.
