This is not a happy prediction, but I see no other likely path.
We will all get COVID-19 before this is over.
The Omicron variant has overtaken the Delta variant in the last couple of weeks. The exact charts vary, but in December 2021, Delta was fading as Omicron took dominance. By January 2022, Omicron has all but replaced Delta in the US for new infections.
People being careful and taking precautions are being tested as COVID-positive. Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, two prominent talk-show hosts who have responded intelligently throughout the COVID pandemic have tested positive and cancelled their shows. As a reference, here is an NPR article on Fallon and Meyers, dated 4 January 2022.
Finally, we have known for over a year that the virus spreads by air. Some fraction of the US population, some estimates are in the 30-40% range, are resisting vaccination. Even if it is only 20%, this leaves a vibrant pool in which the COVID virus can live, mutate, and spread because we all need to breathe. Wearing masks can help, self-isolation can help, and postponing interactions can help, but we must ultimately visit grocery stores and perform other tasks that will put is in exposure to people who either do not care or will lie about their vaxx status.
When I add these together, there is simply no way to avoid exposure. If you run this over a month or so, that is a handful of visits, and the probabilities add up to certainty.
The only protection is the vaccination protocol - (usually) two vaccinations plus a booster. To extend protection, another booster is very possible, perhaps in the mid-year of 2022.
Happy New Year!
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