"Nearly two-and-a-half years since the coronavirus pandemic began, the most infectious and transmissible variant yet has arrived. Repeated Covid-19 waves have left millions of people dead, with only vaccines helping to blunt the toll. Now the virus is spreading again — evolving, escaping immunity and driving an uptick in cases and hospitalizations. The latest version of its shape-shifting, BA.5, is a clear sign that the pandemic is far from over." CNN