The Ilocos Times

By Noralyn Onto Dudt Ooh... la... la ! The masks are off, the planes are full, restaurants and resorts are packed. The world is humming again. And BA.5 comes marching in, spoiling a bit of fun and dashing the hopes of millions. The latest Omicron offshoot called the BA.5 variant is now making its rounds and risk of infection is growing, signaling the world that the coronavirus is still around. The arrival of subvariant BA.5 should be a reminder that the finish line in this race is nowhere to be seen. As of now, BA.5 and a closely related variant, BA.4, account for about 70% of all infections in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC). The rapid spread of the BA.5 omicron subvariant is a window into what the future with this coronavirus looks like. We've seen this pattern before. The original omicron variant was more contagious than the delta variant before it became quickly dominant last winter. After a brief lull, that strain was