If reports from other places in the world are a hint of what’s to come in the U.S., a new wave of COVID-19 cases could begin in the near future. Thankfully, the timing of the wave should limit its severity. The last wave of the coronavirus was caused by its Omicron variant, a much more transmissible version but also less deadly. Now, it appears Omicron is back in the form of a new subvariant. Designated as BA.2, this subvariant of Omicron is even more infectious than the first. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently estimated the subvariant was responsible for 84 percent of new cases in its New York region. Although it has the capacity to spread more rapidly than the original Omicron variant, BA.2 will be slowed by an advantage the population didn’t have in the fall and winter: the outdoors. To read the full story.