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The EG.5.1 variant’s nicknamed, Eris, is the new COVID variant that has pushed the virus back into the public eye. “COVID-19 case rates continued to increase this week compared to our previous report. 5.4% of 4,396 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were identified as COVID-19. This is compared to 3.7% of 4,403 from the previous report,” the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) said in a report on Thursday. The strain, Eris or EG.5.1, is to blame for one in seven instances in the UK, according to UKHSA bosses quoted in the Daily Mail.
Read the following points on the new variant –
Variant covering 11.8% of COVID cases in the UK
According to data posted on the UKSHA website, 11.8% of UK sequences were categorised as EG.5.1 in the second week of July. “EG.5.1 was first raised as a signal in monitoring on 3 July 2023 as part of horizon scanning due to increasing reports internationally, particularly in Asia. It was subsequently raised from a signal in monitoring to a variant V-23JUL-01 on 31 July 2023 due to the increasing number of genomes in UK data, and continued growth internationally,” UKSHA says.
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New Covid variant found in 45 nations
“Although the public health emergency of international concern for COVID-19 was declared over on 5 May 2023, COVID-19 remains a major threat,” the WHO says. It is now keeping track of seven variations under monitoring (VUMs) and their descendant lineages, including the following: BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBB.1.9.1, XBB.1.9.2, XBB.2.3, and EG.5. According to the WHO’s most recent report, EG.5 has been identified in 45 countries with a total of 4,722 sequences.
The release of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer, according to a media report quoting specialists, may have contributed to the increase in the number of instances of the new Covid variant. Other theories for this increase include poor weather and declining immunity.
Covid on rise in US
The rate of hospitalisation has increased by 10% since December, according to the US CDC’s COVID tracker. “A total of 8,035 people have been hospitalized due to COVID in the US and this pattern is increasing since mid-June,” the US CDC says.
According to reports, the case is primarily being driven by bad weather. Due to the heat, a lot of individuals choose to stay inside where there is no air circulation, which creates the ideal habitat for respiratory infections to survive.
Symptoms for the new variant
No significant alteration in the COVID symptoms that were present in earlier waves has emerged as of yet. Health officials in the nations where COVID cases are on the rise have recommended patients to get a COVID test as soon as symptoms such a headache, fever, or runny nose appear.
“We continue to see a rise in COVID-19 cases in this week’s report. We have also seen a small rise in hospital admission rates in most age groups, particularly among the elderly. Overall levels of admission still remain extremely low and we are not currently seeing a similar increase in ICU admissions. We will continue to monitor these rates closely,” Dr. Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
Prevent the virus from affecting you
Some of the preventative measures one needs to take include washing hands frequently, avoiding touching exposed surfaces, avoiding busy areas if possible, keeping indoor air ventilated, and remaining alone when symptoms manifest.
