WHO declares ‘Eris’ COVID strain a variant of interest
A new strain of COVID-19 – Eris or EG.5 – has been designated as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization. Currently, Eris is growing in prevalence globally, with countries including the UK, China and US among those affected.
However, the WHO suggested EG.5 does not pose a particular threat. “Based on the available evidence, the public health risk posed by EG.5 is evaluated as low at the global level,” the agency said. “While EG.5 has shown increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, there have been no reported changes in disease severity to date,” the WHO added. Eris or EG.5 Eris is related to an Omicron subvariant called XBB.1.9.2. The makeup of EG.5 varies slightly from previous sub variants.
This may make EG.5 a little better at infecting people and evading immunity, which might be the reason why it’s more transmissible than other variants right now. While symptoms can vary from person to person, most infected people experience mild symptoms which include dry cough, headaches, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat and tiredness. Some people can also experience difficulty in breathing.These symptoms are often mild because there’s more immunity in the population, making infections seem a little less severe. It is important to get tested and see the doctor if one experiences any of the above mentioned symptoms.