During the past weekend, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed the new COVID-19 subvariant, dubbed Eris, categorizing it as a “variant of interest” in a risk assessment.
According to the WHO, EG.5 first appeared in February 2023, and cases have been steadily increasing to the point where it was reported that during epidemiological week 29 (July 17-23, 2023), the global prevalence of EG.5 was 17.4%. This is a significant rise compared to data reported four weeks earlier (week 25, June 19-25, 2023), when the global prevalence of EG.5 was 7.6%.
Known as “Eris,” this new subvariant, which descends from the Omicron variant, has been reported by the WHO in at least 51 countries. The countries with the highest number of cases include the United Kingdom, China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Singapore, France, Portugal, Spain, and the United States.
When its presence was reported on social media, millions of users nicknamed the new coronavirus subvariant Eris, in honor of a Greek mythology goddess. However, the World Health Organization has not officially recognized this name.
The WHO has stated that the new subvariant, nicknamed ‘Eris,’ does not seem to vary significantly from previously known variants. However, as with each of the recent subvariants, rigorous tracking is challenging. Among the main symptoms, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead, stated that EG.5 is more transmissible but not more severe than Omicron. The symptoms include:
- Sore throat
- Runny nose and sneezing
- Dry cough
- Headache
- Muscle pain
These can be accompanied by fever and its effects, such as chills and general fatigue or discomfort. In essence, it’s nothing new or very different from other respiratory illnesses that have spread throughout past autumn-winter seasons among non-vulnerable and vaccinated individuals.
However, the WHO’s technical lead declared that COVID-19 vaccines cannot prevent infections from EG.5.1. Some countries are already developing booster shots targeted at a variant called XBB1.5.
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