The new COVID variant: XBB.1.5

From this report. It's the first recombinant variant because "it was created by two Omicron subvariants merging through evolution." Dr. Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group: "What Omicron is demonstrating is something I have never really seen in my career before called convergent evolution." According to WHO: "It is the most transmissible COVID-19 variant ever." "The jury is still out on whether XBB.1.5 makes people sicker following infection, leading to hospitalizations and death." However, for now, "experts believe the handful of COVID antivirals that have been developed will continue to work against XBB.1.5." except for monoclonal antibodies. Wishful thinking perhaps? Experts do though warn that "even more COVID variants rear their heads in months and years to come" which "may or may not make it better or worse for human beings."

Per the last post, and what's not covered by this science, is that the virus has so programmed us to its reproduction that not one of these facts will slow us down at all from our blithe behavior. We are the Zombie Apocalypse.