LOS ANGELES — The government is ready to declare COVID-19 over: The nationwide state of emergency is set to end on May 11. In California, the state of emergency concluded in February. Johns Hopkins University shut down its nationwide COVID-19 data tracking this month.
But COVID-19 isn't gone. Though cases and deaths are on a downswing, plenty of people are still testing positive, especially as mask usage dwindles and pandemic restrictions end. Hundreds of people still die of COVID worldwide every day, according to the World Health Organization.
"It's really hard to not catch omicron," said Paula Cannon, a virology professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine. "It's so freaking infectious, even if you've been boosted and vaccinated."
