A new Covid-19 variant, Eris has been on the WHO’s radar. Here is where it’s rampant…and everything we know so far!”
Well joke’s on us, if we got too comfortable with our surroundings and began returning to life as we knew it pre 2020…easing in the thought of Covid now most likely to be very well on its way of being wiped from the earth’s existence. Seems like nature has us in for a rude awakening – could we be any more wrong because the globally debilitating virus is now reportedly back with a new variant and a new name.
As per the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), EG.5.1, is a descendant of Omicron and has been nicknamed Eris. It was first classified as a variant in the UK on 31 July.
According to a latest WHO (World Health Organization) report, there have been 1 million covid-19 cases and more than 3100 deaths recorded adding up to a total of almost 7 million deaths since the pandemic, globally. While raising an alarm about the steady rise in cases of the Eris variant, on the other hand there is also some assurance from medical experts that this new variant of Covid-19 is not any more severe than the previous variants.
Here is some crucial information on the current scenario below:
Where Is The Variant On The Rise?
The WHO is currently monitoring the variant due to its speedy global acceleration. The new variant is on the rise predominantly, in the U.S and U.K with experts confirming the likely variant being responsible for the rising infections and hospitalisations. The variant has been reportedly detected in 45 other countries almost doubling from mid-June to mid July as per a WHO situation report on August 3rd. Apart from U.S and U.K, the subvariant E.5.1 has been detected in countries including Britain, India and Thailand.
What Does The Public Need To Know About Boosters?
Health experts are of the view, vaccines, boosters, safe social practices, wearing and mask and keeping rooms ventilated should all still be encouraged.
A CDC spokesperson, Kathleen Conley has said “At this time, there is no evidence indicating EG.5 is able to spread more easily, and currently available treatments and vaccines are expected to continue to be effective against this variant,” Though health officials in the U.S are in works to administer new formula based booster doses for the Coronavirus vaccines targeting the XBB strain accounting for most infections in 2023.
A professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, Eric Gopil said there is to be enough overlap between the different variants to gather findings that the new booster would protect people infected with EG.5 against severe disease. He added the updated boosters will be better guarding against the viruses circulating now than the current formula targeting the BA.5 subvariant that became dominant in summer 2022.
What Are The Symptoms To Look Out For
Health officials say it might still be early to conclude if the symptoms of EG.5.1 are any different from other Omicron strains. Though Eris is a strain of Omicron. The ZOE Health Study, lists down the five most common symptoms of Omicron:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue (mild or severe)
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
“The symptoms are the same as previous variants – cough, cold, fever, throat pain and chest tightness, but in immunocompromised people and some susceptible individuals, it can lead to fatal ARDS. It also appears to be more contagious than previous variants,” adds Dr Jha.(Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, Director & HOD-Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad.)
In general, WHO has updated the coronavirus to “remains a major threat,” despite being declared on May 5 to be officially over. “WHO continues to urge Member States to maintain, not dismantle, their established COVID-19 infrastructure. It is crucial to sustain surveillance and reporting, variant tracking, early clinical care provision”
Might be a good time to whip out those sanitizers and face masks again!
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Source: Washington Post, Fortune
