Well there was a lot of expectation that the restrictions and vaccines would be effective in bringing us back to "normalcy". I mean, I don't think many thought we would still be where we are today.
That's a problem of managing expectations though, isn't it?
Granted, nobody would get re-elected saying "this sh*t is gonna last us a few years, so settle in, cowboys" in April 2020. But if you look at past pandemics like the 1918 flu, it would be more realistic than the "two weeks and done" nonsense that people spewed.
Also, it proved a lot of people flunked biology.