Whenever a new COVID-19 variant is identified, fear and panic quickly sets in. It makes sense: Weve been living through two-plus years of a brutal, scary pandemic. Before the data rolls in, many news headlines immediately jump to a worst-case scenario, speculating about whether the new coronavirus variant will be more pathogenic or drastically evade our vaccines. Were constantly on high alert.

The unfortunate truth is that, when it comes to COVID, there will always be new variants. Right now, were experiencing an uptick in BA.2. Experts discovered this week another possible strain, the XE variant , which is a combination of the original omicron variant and BA.2. And in a few months, well likely be looking at an even newer one headed our way. We should expect this, and prepare for it.

A new variant doesnt have to mean there will be a doomsday situation. We have some really effective treatments now. We have mitigation strategies that we know work, like masking. There is a decent level of immunity in the population from the vaccines and widespread infection that it would take a lot for a new variant to offset every bit of the progress weve made in the past two years.

Thats not to say we shouldnt be cautious, but more that we should use what weve learned and created over the last two years to our advantage (and so should the people in charge of creating public health strategies).

Heres what to look at and consider whenever a new variant emerges:

Expect New Variants In The Future

As long as SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate, it will evolve and mutate into new variants. We now know that there are numerous animals that can contract the coronavirus. Throw in the fact that many people have never been immunized or exposed to COVID and that vaccinated people can spread COVID, and it seems pretty unlikely that COVID will be eradicated, at least anytime soon.

The World Health Organization released a new plan last week suggesting that we exit the emergency phase of the pandemic and prepare for three possible scenarios of how the virus might evolve next.

Scenario one: COVID continues to circulate and evolve, but the severity of illness will decline as immunity increases. The virus will likely become more of a seasonal illness (like the flu) and we may need to booster at-risk individuals on a seasonal basis.

Scenario two: In the best-case scenario, future variants are much milder and eliminate the need for boosters though we may intermittently get sick, we remain protected from severe disease.

Scenario three: A more severe, more transmissible variant comes along. We already have a ton of immunity in the population, which will likely blunt the impact of the virus, but a widespread booster campaign, likely with updated vaccines, would be initiated to increase everyones immunity to that variant.