Well, folks, it’s that time of year again. Everyone is getting sick, missing class, and falling behind. With this in mind, it’s time to talk about the new COVID-19 strain, plus how to avoid getting sick!
By collecting data from the wastewater, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) can measure COVID-19 variants. Over the last several weeks, the XFG variant, also known as the “Stratus” variant, has been on the rise and is currently the most dominant variant. This Omicron subvariant sits at a whopping 71% percent on the chart as of Aug. 23. Furthermore, the charts would suggest that the south is where the variant is the most concentrated. Lucky us. More information can be found here.
There should be nothing to worry about because although it’s spreading, the Stratus variant isn’t any more deadly than its counterparts, individually or globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) puts the variant’s risk factor as “Moderate,” although their confidence level is low due to a lack of data. Currently, they have the strain on a watch list as a “variant under monitoring” to further assess potential danger. Here, you can further read about their studies in greater detail.
This new strand has all the classic symptoms: coughing, diarrhea, shortness of breath, runny nose, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, fevers, and loss of taste/smell. Notably, students have given reports of one telltale symptom. “My throat was unbelievably torn up, I didn’t even wanna drink water, it was so bad,” Kayla Baker explained. Many students have noticed the illness sweeping through campus. Makayla Taylor said, “Everyone’s been really stuff, sneezing.” She recalled how “in class there’s always a sniffle. Someone’s always sniffling or coughing or something like that.”
Everyone takes different approaches to avoid getting sick. Taylor, for example, would recommend one specific thing: “Drink Vitamin C, Emergen-C packets.”
While the sickness spreads across campus, there are several ways to stay healthy and safe:
- Keeping a safe distance
- If you exhibit symptoms, get tested immediately
- Wash your hands consistently, multiple times a day
- Avoid heavy crowds as much as possible
Stay safe, stay alert, and stay smart!
