By Jane Caffrey, NBC New York

When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, there were so many unanswered questions. Now more than two years in, there are still a lot of mysteries surrounding the ever-evolving virus.

The newest subvariant, BA.5, is more contagious than ever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is the dominant variant in the U.S. The subvariant appears to be resistant to both the vaccine and immunity.

That means someone who has been boosted or has recently had COVID-19 still does not have protection. It’s why the CDC recommends masking indoors again.

With the virus evolving so quickly, and no more get-out-of-jail cards, COVID-19 will be with us for quite some time. According to a new study out of the Yale School of Medicine, an endemic phase is on the way, but probably not until 2024.

COVID has upended lives for more than two years now.

“The emotional toll on all of us has been high,” Dr. Caroline Zeiss, professor of Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, said.

Dr. Zeiss and her team looked into when we can expect the pandemic to transition to an endemic.

“I think this is a question that everybody has in their mind, is, when can we go back to normal?” she said.

  coronavirus, COVID-19