Hello and welcome to the intelligence on Economist Radio.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Among many troubling images from the pandemic were families visiting elderly relatives on either side of windows unable to embrace.

COVID-19 has deprived billions of the human touch that's not just an emotional luxury, it's a physical need.

And most words have messy, long lineages, often descended from a language's earliest form.

Some words, though, well, they're just made up.

But that's not to say it's easy to get people to use them or to use them in the manner intended.

First up, though.

Good evening, my fellow Americans.

Tonight, I'd like to talk to you about where we are, as you mark one year since everything stopped because of this pandemic.

Last night, President Joe Biden spoke to America in a primetime address from the White House for the first time since taking office. He promised to direct states to make all adults eligible

for a COVID vaccine by May and discussed the bill he had just signed into law, the American Rescue Plan,

a $1.9 trillion stimulus program.

It extends unemployment benefits.

It helps small businesses, lowers health care premiums for many.

It provides food and nutrition, keeps families in their homes.

America is not the only country that's responded to the crisis with increasing generosity.

When COVID hit, I kind of went in, you know, it was like a state of panic that I, honestly,

I can't tell you what my day-to-day thoughts were because they were just scrambled.

Like, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? How am I

going to survive? How am I going to survive? What, what, what?

...