2y ago

A new COVID-19 variant has emerged. Here's what we know about EG.5 so far

www.ctvnews.ca A new COVID-19 variant has emerged. Here's what we know about EG.5 so far

A new COVID-19 variant has emerged, serving as a reminder that the coronavirus continues to mutate and spread around the world, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.

The variant is called EG.5 and is a descendant of Omicron.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that EG.5 accounted for roughly 17.3 per cent — or one in six — of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. in the past two weeks.

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I am the only person, literally the ONLY person who wears a mask anymore. No one in the city, no one during grocery shopping or in schools and no one public transportation. I get looks but I already got covid once, due to my „skeptical“ parents and I don’t intend to get it again.
- It warms my heart when I see someone still has the heart and the guts to wear a mask.
- I had to visit the ER a few weeks ago. Aside from me, there were two or three other people in masks, and they were patients.
  I just don't understand it. Medical professionals should know better, but somehow don't??
  
  Similar story. I was in the ER today and most staff weren't wearing masks, despite another patient just a few curtains down testing positive for Covid!
  
  That's the reason I don't enter a hospital without my fit-tested N99.
  
  There are so many vectors for infection that it is kinda silly to try. That being said I still wear mine as a matter of professional ethics.
  
  There are so many vectors for infection that it is kinda silly to try.
  This statement, in and of itself, is silly. That's like giving up on washing your hands and sterilizing equipment because it's just too much effort.
  Unless you're frequently digging for gold with unwashed hands, SARS-COV-2 transmission enormously favours the airborne vector.
  
  Yes, and everyone around you all the time is going unmasked and raw dogging the world. Including members of your family. So you either have to give up all social contact, since even if you are good about masking your friends will want to go out and eat and drink in public. So you skip that or take an exposure. Even stuff like wearing s mask to the grocery store which, would be a good precaution, has a nonzero chance of leading to some altercation. It really is wild how hostile society is to what would be simple precautions. Ahh, I got caught by federation. I didn't realize this was a Canada thread. Maybe you have it easier up there. Down here in America things are... stressful
  
  I'm aware of the limitations I'm subjecting myself to, but I'd far rather live with them than live without smell, taste, clear lungs, or clear cognition.
  In Canada, mask behaviours depend on the area. I think the larger cities are generally better in terms of people wearing masks and people leaving you alone for it.
  I haven't gotten any comments my small prairie town, but it's an everyone-knows-someone-who-knows-you type of place. I think I've seen one other person wearing a mask in the past several months, but people generally know who I am, that I'm immunocompromised, and nobody says anything to me about it. That being said, I don't really go out much and literally never go anywhere indoors without a fit tested N95 or better (with the one exception of my dentist, who still has a number of precautions in place).
  But there's a small city a half hour away where I'd legitimately fear being physically assaulted just for wearing a mask and minding my own business. It's basically a 10 square mile slice of 'murica, rednecks and trumpsters included.
  
  I had a security guard at a hospital give me a hard time about wearing a mask still. It's doffrent down here
- i only mask for drs offices, the dentist, and other high risk environments.
  if i worked with the general public or lived/interacted with high risk individuals on the regular, i'd behave differently.
- Make sure you get N95/KN95/KF94 masks, they are better than cloth or surgical masks. Personally I don't wear a mask anymore except in doctor's offices, although I did receive 4 doses of the vaccine and I think both myself and my family would almost definitely be okay if we did get it.
  With that said, I also have a job where I work remotely 100% of the time so that probably helps too.
- I feel this.
  My immune system is shitty and terrible (suspected condition, but docs have no clue), so getting sick will cause a slew of awful things to happen to me. Last tiny sick bout I had a few months ago caused a chain reaction that landed me in the hospital. I was literally shitting blood due to a tiny infection! The specialist half-jokingly told me "Well, next time, just don't get sick!" Ha. Ha ha. Ha.
  I've only had a single person comment on me wearing a mask in 3 years, thank god. My response was "How about you mind your own fucking business?" Don't wear a mask. Whatever. I won't comment on it. But leave me the fuck alone if I choose the wear one. I'm not about to explain my medical history to some snide asshole. Fuck off. I like not suffering.
- I personally haven't given a shit about COVID for over a year now. I haven't even gotten sick in that time. I'm not trying to attack your position here, but at what point is it considered paranoia? I remember seeing the death numbers fall in line with other stuff like the flu. At what point do we just return to normal?
  
  I think a lot of it depends on your personal situation. For some immunocompromised people, the risk may be legitimately higher. And so in terms of it being "just like the flu", I think it's maybe more of a realization for people in those groups that it probably would have been a good idea to wear a mask in crowded public places before covid too, to protect against things like the flu. Masking has long been common in East Asia.
  
  Not just personal, but work/community. We had a year at my work with just a handful of staff cases, then got smacked last April with about 25% of our staff all testing positive over a week or two, plus a few not-COVID sick calls. After about 5 cases in 2 days most people masked up again until the sick calls stopped.
  
  Last I saw, Covid death rates were still almost double that of influenza. And that's even with (generally) higher vaccination rates for covid over the flu.
- I only wear masks when I'm the one who's sick so I don't infect everyone else. And maybe at the hospital or clinic since I'll be in the same room as other sick people or because I'm the one who's sick.
  Otherwise, unless you're immuno compromised, I don't see the point and wearing a mask all the time might be too much.
- Yes. I work in a hospital and people tend not to bother anymore among the staff.
- You do you, and don't let anyone get you down. There's something to be said about masking on the subway or whatever, I wouldn't hate on anyone for that. I personally haven't worn a mask for awhile, but anyone who freaks out about it, is just plain stupid.

154 comments