URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The COVID-19 pandemic emerged roughly five years ago, leading to nationwide shutdowns. Today, public health researchers at the University of Illinois aim to identify lessons learned and determine how to apply them moving forward.

Becky Smith, a professor of epidemiology, noted that while shutdowns effectively prevented hospitals from being overrun, she believes the federal government could have utilized that period to develop a superior test for the virus and gain a faster understanding of its transmission.

Smith’s biggest takeaway was the erosion of trust between public health officials — and the general public.

“There was a lot of miscommunication early on, particularly regarding masks. Initially, people were told, ‘no, you don’t need masks,'” Smith explained. “Then, when the advice changed to ‘yes, you do need masks’ and eventually to ‘you need better masks,’ it caused uncertainty, leaving people to wonder, ‘were you lying to me before?'”

Smith said there’s always a chance for another pandemic. She hopes trust can be built back with the community before then so credible information can be passed along.