the omicron subvariant ba.2. one lab study showing it may spread faster and may cause more severe disease. >> the good news is, though, we're not seeing much ba.2 in the united states at all. >> reporter: instead, covid hospitalizations have dropped to near pre-omicron levels, a welcome sign for the future. >> if we're going to live with this thing, let's live with it as safely as we possibly can. >> reporter: and california has been one of the most strict states when it comes to these covid mandates, so it will be interesting to see if there are other states or even local governments that follow california's plan. now, there are still a lot of unknowns. for example, another variant or an increase in hospitalizations. but despite all of this, most of the people that i've talked with told me even with those unknowns they're simply ready to move on. fred? >> all right. camila bernal, thank you so