A new Covid variant which was detected in China in February is said to be gradually spreading across the globe. The common symptoms of Eris or EG.5.1 are cold, fever, cough and sneezing, but no severity has been seen in the cases so far. The World Health Organization had categorised EG.5.1 as a variant under monitoring on July 19.
Doctors have reported a spike in Covid-like illnesses among all age groups in India too. The new variant was first detected in the country in Pune in May — in a person who was down with Covid — but was identified only recently, in August.
Covid-like symptoms
As per a recent study — conducted by Local Circles, an online survey platform — among 19,000 residents of the Delhi-NCR area, Maharashtra and Karnataka, one in three households in Karnataka, one in five in Delhi-NCR and one in six in Maharashtra have someone down with viral- or Covid-like symptoms.
Among the survey participants, 63% were men and 37% were women.
Confirming the spike in cases of flu in Mumbai, Dr Altaf Patel, director, general medicine, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai, says: “Covid is also a flu and therefore has common symptoms such as loss of smell and taste along with other typical symptoms. It is not possible to categorize the fever cases as Covid or not, as Covid tests are not being done for all such cases. They are Covid-like illnesses. Everyone with flu symptoms is not being tested. The new Covid-19 variant Eris seems to be milder and there is a chance of the cases being unnoticed as not everyone would visit a hospital when they are down with a cold and cough for a day or two.”
‘Covid tests not needed for all fever cases’
Doctors in Bengaluru have noticed cases of fever coupled with cough, apart from cases of dengue and conjunctivitis.
Speaking to Happiest Health, Dr Supraja Chandrasekar, senior consultant pediatric intensivist, Dhee Hospitals, Bangalore, points out that cases of toddlers and young children developing viral infection are being seen, and the infections are Covid-like illnesses.
“Covid is like any other viral infection,” she says. “We are seeing Covid-like illnesses with upper respiratory symptoms, which in some cases is leading to bronchiolitis, a common lung infection seen in children. We are not conducting the Covid test at present. The test is required only the admitted cases and in such cases we do an RT-PCR test. However, we haven’t come across a Covid-positive case.”
There have been cases of children requiring hospital admission, while some have been recommended for nebulization with oxygen cylinders to stabilize the saturation level in the blood.
As per the Covid daily data of BBMP, Bengaluru’s civic body, there have been only five cases in the city as of August 13.
Dr Sachin Kumar, senior consultant, pulmonology and critical care medicine, Sakra World Hospital, Bangalore, says that the Local Circles study provides insight into the current situation as no recent post-pandemic data is available.
“Definitely, viral infections and Covid-like illnesses are more common in the post-Covid era,” he says. “Several factors come into play, with a more pronounced impact observed in Bangalore. The city’s weather, characterized by temperature fluctuations and the ongoing monsoon season, plays a significant role. There’s also higher awareness post-Covid, leading to more reported cases.”
Unlike the home-isolation scenario seen during the initial stages of the Covid pandemic, now people, especially children, face lower immunity and higher vulnerability as life normalizes, he adds.
“With various Covid-19 variants around, previous natural defences struggle,” Dr Sachin says. “These factors together cause more respiratory issues as compared to pre-Covid times.”
Speaking to Happiest Health, Dr Paparao Nadakuduru, internal medicine specialist, Citizens Hospital, Hyderabad, says there is no such rise in viral infections in the city at present.
“Eris, the new variant of Omicron (Eris), has raised concerns,” he says. “But at present there is no sudden spike. Covid-like cases are there but all are mild cases. We are not conducting RT-PCR tests on all these cases unless the person is in serious condition and requires hospitalization.”
Ways to prevent infection spread
Dr Sachin suggest the following measures to control the spread of viral infections and Covid-like illnesses:
- Maintaining good hand hygiene.
- Refraining from frequently touching the face.
- Following proper cough etiquette by covering the mouth and avoiding spitting indoors.
- Isolating oneself during periods of cough and cold.
- Wearing masks in public spaces, especially individuals aged 65 and above as well as children.
- Getting the influenza and pneumococcal vaccines.
Takeaways
In India, the new Covid-19 variant Eris was detected in August in a person who came down with disease in May. With the spike in cases of Covid-like illnesses in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, experts suggest taking preventive measures to stop the spread of the flu. As not everyone who is down with fever needs a Covid test, many cases could go unreported.
