As of Aug. 19, 2023, there have been over 15,000 hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
Remember three years when we were all so excited about getting two weeks off for spring break? Well, get ready because who knows? You might be getting “two weeks off” for Winter break.
We’re all aware that when fall hits, everyone is at risk for getting your common cold. It’s not really a shock either as temperatures are changing and people have closer contact with one another. However, this year is different, as COVID-19 is back and cases are rising.
BA.2.86, or (unofficially) ‘Pirola’, the new COVID-19 variant, has been rapidly spreading throughout the world. As of now, cases of the new variant have been found in six countries including the UK and the US. In fact, it is quickly surging through the United States. 2/5 states where the virus has been detected have slowly implemented safety protocols once again. Some school districts in Kentucky and Texas had already canceled classes back in late August and resumed them virtually for a couple of days. But what does this mean for everyone else?
While there is no telling if the virus will spread as bad as it did back in 2020, requiring us to be in a state of emergency and go into a lockdown, there’s also no evidence suggesting otherwise, especially with most cases being unrelated. Many health experts around the world are concerned as they don’t have much information on the strain other than that it’s a combination of 30 different mutations, many which differ from Coronavirus. It has also been noted that those who have already had COVID-19 and have been vaccinated against, are more prone to this variant than those who have not.
As of now, health officials can only recommend that people get the appropriate vaccines and boosters to give their immune system a “boost”. Below are some places close to campus where you can get vaccinated:
- ASU Health Services (Address varies depending on location of campus)
- CVS Pharmacy (1.1 miles from Tempe campus | S Mills Ave.)
- Fry’s Food and Drug (0.4 miles from Downtown campus | E Jefferson St.)
- Walgreens (7 miles from Polytechnic campus | E Guadalupe Rd.)
- Walgreens (0.8 miles from West Campus | W Thunderbird Rd.)
- Smith’s Pharmacy (0.6 miles from Lake Havasu campus | N Acoma Blvd.)