An infection fatality rate of 0.35% means 500,000 deaths if half of Americans are infected. Not the end of civilization, but certainly something to take seriously.
The single worst aspect to America's Covid response was that what should have been a medical or scientific debate became politicized.
Yes that would be terrible, but the death rate is trending down in most areas (even those with minimal pandemic control measures) so I predict the final death toll will be under 500,000. For comparison purposes we lose about 600,000 per year to each of cancer and heart disease. The pandemic is bad and needs to be taken seriously but it's certainly not the end of our civilization.
The politicization of anything to do with public health is inevitable. Science can provide useful inputs, but ultimately the decisions have to be made by elected politicians. We live in a republic, not a technocracy.
The single worst aspect to America's Covid response was that what should have been a medical or scientific debate became politicized.