Coronavirus variants lurk in US amid fears ‘fourth wave’ will hit before nation vaccinated

Jason Boatman sits nervously on the couch, his shoulders slightly turned in as he prepares to talk about the unimaginable tragedy that happened to his family earlier this year.

The Texas father clasps his hands in his lap as he tries to get comfortable, but his grip never really loosens.

As we chat, a polite smile creeps across his face but it’s difficult for him to hide the sadness he feels after the grief he’s endured.

Mr Boatman lost his nine-year-old son, Jason Jayden — or JJ as he’s affectionately known — to COVID-19 when the virus was again surging across Texas in January.

“It’s a struggle to even want to live. He was literally the life of the house,” he says.

“He was…