There are a few signs that the COVID pandemic is waning in the U.S., with this January 2023 being less severe than January 2022. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all slightly dropping, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But our baselines have shifted, changing our definition of normal. These metrics, especially deaths, are still much higher than we've tolerated historically. And while things aren't as bad as they were a year ago, as we've seen many, many times throughout the pandemic, it has a way of roaring back when we drop our guard.
Experts are especially concerned with the virus jumping from humans to animals and then back again, each time presenting new opportunities for novel mutations in different creatures. And many experts are worried that we aren't doing enough to monitor the situation, meaning a nasty and surprising new variant could emerge from this viral game of human-to-animal-to-human ping-pong.
