The UK variant (B.1.1.7) seems to have reversed its long run of growth, beginning to account for a smaller proportion of the cases in the USA.
The Brazilian (P1) variant might be on the upswing.
Maybe the Indian "Delta" variant (B.1.617.2), now dominant in the UK (and apparently causing big problems there), which has started spreading here, is part of the problem. It may the most transmissible variant yet.
I was hoping the vaccinations would head off the variants. You can’t have the variants if there is no COVID-19 And the few variants could be knocked down by aggressive contact tracing.
I have learned that the variants evolve to be less deadly. The virus benefits by not killing off its host so it can continue to infect others via their host. It is the virus’s nature of infecting when in the asymptomatic stage that makes it so hard to control. I’ll be glad when someone invents a breathalyzer that you can blow into to check your COVID status.