The COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest disaster in living memory, on almost any measure. Over 6.5 million people are confirmed to have died in less than 3 years, and the pandemic’s indirect impacts have touched the lives of virtually every community on the planet. The World Disasters Report 2022 focuses on the coronavirus pandemic and preparedness: both the ways preparedness ahead of COVID-19 was inadequate, and how the world can prepare more effectively for future public health emergencies.