We are still talking about COVID? It has been almost 3 years since the first cases spread from China to other countries (Italy and Japan). Here in India, hardly anyone cares about COVID anymore. People seems to have got the immunity against COVID, as a result of vaccinations and infections. Zero-COVID countries such as China have realized their mistake and are no longer trying to contain the infection. A flu virus similar to COVID may emerge in 2026, but I don't think that the current pandemic will last beyond this year (2023).