COVID cases surge due to waning immunity and new variants

COVID cases are on the rise again, driven by a combination of waning immunity and the emergence of new variants. Though the new variant, Parola (BA286), has received attention, it is not the dominant variant causing the surge. The increase in cases is also attributed to people not changing their behaviors, with few individuals testing unless symptomatic and limited mask usage. Additionally, governments are no longer providing comprehensive testing and treatment, which has reduced personal protections against COVID. While hospitalizations and deaths have increased, they have not reached levels seen earlier in the pandemic. It appears that COVID is transitioning into an endemic state, with cases fluctuating instead of overwhelming healthcare systems.