A summary capture of the rapid, complex, unfolding landscape from December 2019 through January 2021 provides a glimpse of the initial challenges and consequences of the early evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. The summary references the multitude of sources informing the public, health professions, businesses and government, global and national agencies, governmental executive orders, professional organizations, media reports, and peer-reviewed publications. Looking back, the action taken, the conflicting messages, the changes in understanding illuminated by science, and the geographic variations are not a surprise in the context of a novel virus pandemic. However, what we have witnessed and experienced to date warrants deliberate review and collective action to engender public trust in health care and to build back a better health profession response for now and future such events.