Paraphrasing Brazilian journalist Zuenir Ventura ¹1. Ventura Z. 1968: o ano que não terminou. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva; 2013., if 2020 was the year that never ended, 2021 was the one that we wished would end, finishing a cycle in the pandemic, attacks on science, antidemocratic abuses, and rising inequality in Brazil and the world.

In the last year, the expectations for overcoming the worst moment in the COVID-19 pandemic failed to materialize. The difficulties in advancing vaccination and adopting measures for comprehensive mitigation and social protection turned Brazil into an epicenter of the pandemic. The year was marked by a new transmission wave that reached an average level of more than 3,000 deaths a day from March to June, and by the health system’s crisis and collapse in all states of the country ²2. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Boletim Observatório COVID-19. Retrospectiva 2021. https://portal.fiocruz.br/sites/portal.fiocruz.br/files/documentos/boletim_covid_2021-retrospectiva.pdf (acessado em 06/Jan/2022).
https://portal.fiocruz.br/sites/portal.f... . The year also witnessed worsening socioeconomic conditions and setbacks in various public policy areas. The routine was never reestablished, whether as the old or new normal, and much of what had been planned never made it off paper, in the middle of hesitation and chronic indecision by government authorities.

While feeling sadness for more than 600,000 lives lost and the lies laid on the altar, we must acknowledge that 2021 also expresses an enormous victory for science and public health systems, which stood out worldwide in the response to the pandemic. Scientists expanded their efforts to communicate beyond their peers. Science, featuring transmission models, R₀, and clinical characteristics, appeared in the media and drew widespread attention. Technical terms such as “moving average” became part of daily conversation, and scientists and science disseminators became familiar faces to the public at large, not only explaining the discoveries concerning the virus and the disease it causes, but also taking a firm stance against the globalization of anti-science movements. All this further expressed that in science there are no absolute certainties, and that recommendations change as knowledge progresses ³3. World Health Organization. Mask use in the context of COVID-19. Interim guidance. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/advice-on-the-use-of-masks-in-the-community-during-home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak (acessado em 06/Jan/2022).
https://www.who.int/publications-detail-... ^,44. Javid B, Weekes MP, Matheson NJ. Covid-19: should the public wear face masks? BMJ 2020; 369:m1442.^,55. Jutel A. Face masks for the public during covid-19: the more things change. BMJ 2020; 370:m2656.. And there is still much to learn ⁶6. Emanuel EJ, Osterholm M, Gounder CR. A national strategy for the "new normal" of life with COVID. JAMA 2022; [Online ahead of print]..

The COVID-19 pandemic especially warns us of the constant threat of emerging and reemerging infectious pathogens, of the importance of public and transparent data, of an effective epidemiological surveillance system ⁷7. Lana RM, Coelho FC, Gomes MFC, Cruz OG, Bastos LS, Villela DAM, et al. The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emergency and the role of timely and effective national health surveillance. Cad Saúde Pública 2020; 36:e00019620., of the improvement of diagnostic methods, vaccines, and comprehensive care, of basic and applied research. Medium and long-term investments and accumulated results from various fields after years of research are necessary to produce adequate responses to the problems affecting populations.

In 2021, CSP also began to pursue communication beyond the journal’s peers. Videos and podcasts on published articles, expansion of the use of social networks, and evaluation of scientific communication became part of the journal’s daily life ⁸8. Mansur V, Guimarães C, Carvalho MS, Lima LD, Coeli CM. Da publicação acadêmica à divulgação científica. Cad Saúde Pública 2021; 37:e00140821.. It was also a year of investment in infrastructure and preparation for changes in the internal processes. It was a year in which we got used to working remotely, even while missing personal contact.

But besides looking back, the dawn of a new year also urges us to look forward. And what can we expect in 2022?

First, we welcome Luciana Alves, our new Editor-in-Chief. She will not replace Cláudia Medina Coeli ⁹9. Coeli CM. Foi uma experiência extraordinária, mas chegou a hora de passar o bastão. Cad Saúde Pública 2021; 37:e00260721., which would be impossible. But she does take the lead of CSP intensely, bringing new perspectives, but with the same commitment.

We will finally migrate the Article Evaluation and Management System (Sagas) to the Open Journal System (OJS) ¹⁰10. Public Knowledge Project. Open Journal Systems. https://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs/ (acessado em 06/Jan/2022).
https://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs/... , a free software ¹¹11. Public Knowledge Project. Sustaining PKP: pledges, pandemics, and publishing. https://pkp.sfu.ca/2020/12/22/sustaining-pkp-pledges-pandemics-and-publishing/ (acessado em 06/Jan/2022).
https://pkp.sfu.ca/2020/12/22/sustaining... . It took another year of work until deciding that OJS meets our volume of submissions, our internal editorial flow until publication on a new page. It will be an OJS/Sagas version. We hope the transition will be smooth. As part of these changes, CSP will boast a new website, more dynamic and interactive, which will give greater visibility to CSP, authors, and the academic public in general.

CSP is committed to the issue of open science, and various strategies are already organized, such as the journal’s policy concerning preprints. But progress is necessary. In 2022, we intend to promote a set of new initiatives aimed at the development of open science in Brazil and closer rapport with society. We also want to know our authors better, including their participation by gender, race/color, and age.

In an election year, the overarching theme of our cover photos in 2022 will be democracy and movements to defend it worldwide. We launched January with the photograph of the Direct Elections rally on Praça da Sé in São Paulo, Brazil.

Most important of all is for 2022 to be a year of renewed hope. We need hope to glimpse a better and fairer future and to work for it.

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