“When Christina Anderson’s mother started having chest pains in October, they rushed to the nearest emergency room in their hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa. Because of her mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis, Anderson assumed they would be seen within a reasonable time. Instead, their trip became a nine-hour odyssey.” - Sabrina Malhi

“The pace of COVID-19 deaths has remained relatively steady since May, despite an uptick in July to about 400 a day, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.” - Adrianna Rodriguez

“Nearly two-and-a-half years since the coronavirus pandemic began, the most infectious and transmissible variant yet has arrived.” - Eliza Mackintos

“The World Health Organization is urging governments around the world to ramp up surveillance, testing and vaccine deployment as omicron subvariants drive a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.” - Erica Carbajal

“Australia is heading for its third Omicron wave in the coming weeks, as BA.4 and BA.5 become the dominant Covid strains.” - Adrian Esterman

Two and a half years and billions of estimated infections into this pandemic, SARS-CoV-2’s visit has clearly turned into a permanent stay. Experts knew from early on that, for almost everyone, infection with this coronavirus would be inevitable. As James Hamblin memorably put it back in February 2020, “You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus.” By this point, in fact, most Americans have. But now, as wave after wave continues to pummel the globe, a grimmer reality is playing out. You’re not just likely to get the coronavirus. You’re likely to get it again and again and again.

“As he was treating some of the nation’s first coronavirus patients, Andre Kalil noticed something unusual about the new virus: Patients didn’t always progress linearly. They’d get better, then worse. Then sometimes better again.” - Jason Mast

Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the country, the Biden administration said as many as 100 million people could become infected in a predicted fall and winter wave. Lilia Luciano has the latest.

“While Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid does offer a reduction in hospitalization and deaths, there is currently “no evidence” to suggest that prolonging and repeating a course of the drug has any more benefit, according to an FDA official.” - Joseph Choi