Covid's ability to mutate easily and rapidly makes it king of viruses

And assholes' refusal to mask up now and, more importantly, in the beginning, is a factor in why we're unable to stop it.  Not to mention the CDC's lack of preparedness and Fauci's and Birx's lies about the effectiveness of masking under the Trump administration.

Officials have warned in recent weeks that the [XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant, “the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet” of the already highly contagious omicron strain], can more easily evade the immunity offered by vaccines or prior infections than past variants — and is likely to drive cases up around the country.

But while another omicron subvariant, BQ.1.1, is still dominant in the country beyond the Northeast, XBB.1.5 has also reached all other regions of the U.S., and officials predict it will continue to spread. Due to its recent ascent, data on XBB.1.5 is limited, but health officials have disclosed some key insights into the strain, as well as what questions remain unanswered.

[...]

“At this point, we’re experiencing an increase in cases with no evidence of increased severity of illness related to these variants,” he said.

  The Hill

A silver lining? Losing your sense of taste and smell, and possibly your ability to breathe, along with dibilitating long term effects, aren't severe enough illnesses?

Califf noted that while that booster has been observed to be less effective in neutralizing against the XBB strain when compared to the ancestral strain, the neutralization it offered was still strong enough to provide “some degree of protection.”

"Some degree." Comforting.

Oral antivirals like Paxlovid and molnupiravir are also still expected to be effective against XBB.1.5, as they don’t function by boosting antibodies — which the strain appears better able to evade — but by hindering the virus’s ability to replicate itself.

What is that costing us? A fuckton more than masks would have.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.