What’s next for the coronavirus?

Wastewater samples, which can be used to identify mutations in an area before they are detected in people, at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Scientists studying Covid-19’s continuing evolution, and the body’s immune responses to the virus, hope they can head off a resurgence and also better understand long Covid. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

RAT droppings from New York City. Poop from dog parks in Wisconsin. Human waste from a Missouri hospital. These are some of the materials that are readying us for the next chapter of the coronavirus saga.

More than four years into the pandemic, the virus has loosened its hold on most people’s bodies and minds. But a new variant better able to dodge our immune defences may yet appear, derailing a hard-won return to normalcy.