QCOSTARICA — With COVID-19 hospitalizations steadily inching up in the United States this summer, New York health authorities have urged the population to wear masks due to the spread of a new variant of COVID-19 variants – EG.5 and BA.2.86 – that could evade the immunity developed by the vaccine, according to international media reports.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the former as a “variant of interest” earlier in August but reported that its risk to global public health is low.
Health organizations from multiple states, including California, have voiced their support for making the use of face masks compulsory, which has sparked an argument among those who think other considerations ought to be taken into account before penalizing those who do not want to use them.
Meanwhile, the expectation of the prompt availability of booster vaccines for the new variants is maintained, despite the fact that their approval has not been issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In Costa Rica, the EG.5, informally, Eris (nicknamed after the Greek goddess of strife and discord), variant was reported in the middle of last month, and the highest rate of infection was found in the south of the nation.