There are new reports that Covid cases have been increasing in eighteen European countries. This includes Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that this was due to loosening Covid restrictions too early. The increase in cases was likely caused by an Omicron variant called BA.2, that is more contagious than the original strain of Omicron. Similarly, in China, they had to reinstate some Covid restrictions because they are experiencing a spike in cases. Also, Australia is starting to give second booster shots to people who are considered high risk. However, despite the rise in the number of cases, there are some reasons to be optimistic going forward. Many people have some immunity to the virus from either having been infected with Covid or receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Also, as the weather is getting warmer, people will spend more time outdoors, which will hopefully cause a decrease in infections.

There has been an ongoing pattern the last year, where the Covid situation in the United Kingdom has been a reflection of what will happen in the United States a few weeks later. This time, however, there is one big difference between the circumstances in the United Kingdom compared to America. This difference is that more people in the United Kingdom are fully vaccinated and have received the booster shot. In the United Kingdom, 74% of people are fully vaccinated, while 65% of people are fully vaccinated in America. In addition, 58% of people in the United Kingdom have gotten the booster shot, but only 29% of people in the United States have received their booster. Currently, it is unknown what these statistics will mean for the United States if there is another Covid surge in the coming weeks. As shown by the increase in cases, Covid is not over yet, but hopefully things will continue to be better than they were two years ago.