The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday classified the EG.5 coronavirus strain (nicknamed Eris) circulating in the United States and China as a “variant of interest” but said it did not seem to pose more of a threat to the public at large than other variants. The variant has also been a cause of worry across the UK.
Eris, a variant of the Omicron strain, was identified on July 31.
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How fast is Eris spreading?
As per the UK’s health security agency or UKSHA, Eris is the second most prevalent strain currently.
The current surge in Covid cases in Maharashtra too has been attributed to the detection of the Eris strain.
Where was Eris seen first?
The UKSHA said that Eris was initially raised as a signal in monitoring on 3 July 2023 and later on July 10. About 12% of sequences in the UK were found to be EG.5.1.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of the EG.5 variant are not different from the previous strains of coronavirus. The most common symptoms are sore throat, cough, URI [upper respiratory infection] symptoms, runny nose, and low-grade fevers.
Is it riskier than earlier variants?
The public-health risk of this variant is considered to be low at the global level, along with the risk posed by XBB.1.16 and other variants of interest (VOIs), as per the WHO’s statement. But it might be more infectious.
“While EG.5 has shown increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, there have been no reported changes in disease severity to date,” said the WHO.
The growth advantage of the variant and immune-escape properties may lead to a rise in case incidence over time and become dominant in some countries or even the world, according to WHO.
What can you do?
Getting vaccinated is the key. There is no specific vaccine for this specific variant, but the current vaccines will protect you from getting a severe infection.
