Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : August 11, 2023 12:18 PM IST
WHO Declares Eris As 'Variant of Interest': 10 Unique Symptoms of New COVID Strain EG.5
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified the newly detected EG.5 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, also called the Eris strain, which is currently dominant in US and UK, as a "variant of interest" (VOI). As per reports, this new COVID variant is driving a fresh wave in some parts of the world including India. As of August 7, 7,354 sequences of EG.5 have been submitted to GISAID, the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, from 51 countries.
Taking cognizance of the worsening situation, the global health body has formed a team to keep an eye on the behaviour of this new strain. However, WHO has also stated that even as the variant is wreaking havoc in some parts of the world, it does not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than other strains.
The newly detected variant has already entered India, and since the country has battled the worst variants like Delta and Omicron in the past few years, it is important to understand how threatful this new variant of COVID is.
EG.5 or Eris variant of SARS-CoV-2 was first reported on February 17 this year. Considering the sudden spike in cases, the global health body designated this new strain as a variant under monitoring (VUM) on July 19.
This new SARS-CoV-2 variant EG.5.1 (alias XBB.1.9.2.5.1), is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2. It comes with two additional mutations in its spike protein (Q52H, F456L) compared to its parent strain lineage. As of date, this new variant has been detected in 39 countries and 38 US states.
Speaking to the media about the new strain and its uniqueness, Dr Sanjay Pujari , Director, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Pune said, "ERIS is not an official term but used for simplicity. The variant EG.5.1. is a descendent of the XBB variant and seems to have some growth advantage contributing to an increase in the proportion of SARS-COV-2 infections in most regions of the world".
Variants are broadly categorised into three categories: (1) "variants of interest," (2) "variants of concern" and (3) "variants of high consequence."
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines VOIs as genetic variants that have been linked to alterations that may result in changes that may increase transmissibility or virulence, decrease neutralisation by antibodies acquired through natural infection or vaccination, or both.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Eris COVID variant is spreading rapidly with a weekly growth advantage of 20.51 per cent, and as of July 20, 2023, it accounted for roughly 14.5% of all COVID-19 cases in the UK. UKHSA and the WHO are closely monitoring Omicron EG.5.1 symptoms and severity to evaluate its potential influence on public health and vaccination efficacy.
Although, symptoms of coronavirus infections are very much similar for all the types of variants and strains, here are the top 10 signs that experts have quoted for this new variant:
In case you spot any of the above-mentioned symptoms, get yourself tested for COVID immediately.
As of right now, in India, only one state has officially declared a case related to the EG.5.1 COVID strain - Pune, Maharashtra. Since the sub-variant was initially discovered in the nation, two months have passed without a notable spike in cases during June and July, indicating that it has not been able to have a substantial impact in India. However, since the country has faced back-to-back COVID waves, experts have stated that it is crucial that people continue to exercise caution and remain vigilant, not letting their guard down.
