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Formerly a COVID-19 variant under monitoring, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now upgraded EG.5 (unofficially nicknamed ‘Eris’) to a variant of interest — meaning it believes it could pose an “increased risk to global public health.” The WHO said today (Wednesday 9th August 2023) that there has been a “steady increase in this variant’s prevalence.” As of Monday (7th August 2023), over 7,000 sequences have been shared from fifty-one (51) countries.
Based on the available evidence, the public health risk posed by EG.5 is evaluated as low at the global level, similar to the risk of other current COVID-19 variants of interest. The WHO warns, however, that based on its characteristics, EG.5 may spread globally and cause a surge in cases. “Based on its genetic features, immune escape characteristics, and growth rate estimates, EG.5 may spread globally and contribute to a surge in case incidence,” WHO’s EG.5 Initial Risk Evaluation report states. “Several countries with rising EG.5 prevalence have seen increases in cases and hospitalizations, although at present there is no evidence of an increase in disease severity directly associated with EG.5.” In the latest data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States rose 12.5% between 23rd and 29th July 2023. Overall, they have been increasing since 1st July 2023, with EG.5’s prevalence having increased 9.8% since then. This Summer uptick in cases coincides with (but may not be caused by) the new dominant strain of the virus taking hold in the U.S — EG.5. The CDC estimates EG.5 is causing 17.3% of current COVID-19 cases in the country, and it is on the rise. From the latest available statistics, COVID-19 appears to be making a comeback. The EG.5 variant descended from the Omicron variant, which caused an explosive outbreak in late 2021 and early 2022. Infectious disease experts say the new variant is worth paying attention to, but are cautious in saying how concerned we should be. According to Rebecca Wurtz, an Infectious Disease Physician and a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “Although the EG.5 variant apparently has a slight competitive advantage [over other strains] — and we’ve seen the number of cases go up slightly and the number of hospitalizations go up slightly — I don’t think there’s any reason to expect a massive wave like we saw with Omicron.” The symptoms of EG.5 does not appear to differ much from other Omicron sub-variants. Infected individuals report cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, loss of taste or smell, and headaches, among other symptoms. The WHO reports that EG.5 is not resulting in more cases or deaths than its predecessor, the XBB strain of Omicron, but it is possibly more contagious than other strains.
“The fact that [EG.5] is emerging quickly suggests that it does have some slight competitive advantage,” said Wurtz. This advantage is likely that it is slightly more contagious or more capable of evading existing immunity, but, she added, more data is needed to confirm. Scientists do have genetic sequence data on EG.5 and have zeroed in on some of the mutations that set it apart from past variants, but they do not know “exactly why this mutation confers an advantage,” Wurtz said.
The good news, according to Maureen Miller, an Epidemiologist with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, is that this strain likely would not cause as big of a wave as past variants. This is because there is more widespread immunity to SARS-CoV-2, either from vaccines or natural infection. But still, not everyone is equally protected, depending on when they were last vaccinated or exposed. “The bad news is that these protections wane,” she added. While EG.5 does not appear to make people more ill, the reason for its prominence remains a mystery. This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates. [Source: Vox] We are a small operation. If you've found our articles to be informative, please consider supporting us via PayPal or buying us a coffee. Your contribution is incredibly appreciated and goes a long way. Simply sharing our articles also helps us. Sign up for our free WhatsApp Alerts to be notified as soon as we post breaking news. NEW! Check out our Merchandise Store for high-quality t-shirts, hats and more!
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