New strains of COVID will continue to emerge, meaning the virus can shift at any moment, and long COVID remains a risk for anyone who contracts the virus. COVID transmission rates and hospitalizations remain very low compared to major surges in the past, according to Brian Labus, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Health. Anecdotally, many individuals who have caught COVID recently have reported milder symptoms and quicker recoveries, he added.