Skip to content
Opinion
Therese Raphael and Sam Fazeli

Covid’s Fifth Wave Shows Us How to Live With the Virus

Not all countries are impacted equally by the BA.2 subvariant. That tells us a lot about what works and what doesn’t. 

Once again.

Once again.

Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images AsiaPac

Covid cases are on the rise in several European countries. Upticks are visible again in France, Italy and the U.K. Infection rates in both Austria and Germany eclipse previous waves of the virus (based on cases per million). China is grappling with new highs in terms of case counts. The U.S. may soon follow.

This fifth wave of the virus is likely to be mercifully short-lived in many areas, but the picture varies around the world. This divergence gives us something of a report card on the efficacy of the Covid policies in place.