According to the latest reports, the new variant is more transmissible than the previous. It was responsible for a surge in Covid cases in several regions of the UK.
A new variant of Covid called Eris is arising, figures show in hospitalizations this summer. The new variant is a descendant of Omicron. It has a scientific name EG.5.1.
Eris was first classified as a UK variant on July 31. But is now responsible for 1 in 10 Covid cases. It is the second most common variant in the country. Even so, almost half of the infections belong to the Arcturus variant, according to the report.
Covid-19 Case Ratio.
In addition, figures show that 5.4% of the 4,396 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System identified as COVID-19.
The number of Covid cases in the UK has increased by nearly 200,000 in the past month from 606,656 predicted on 4 July to 785,980 cases on 27 July. However, a report released by UKHSA on 3 August showed that the rate of COVID-19 infections continued to increase compared to previously reported.
Meanwhile, the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 in week 30 was 1.97 per 100,000 population, up from 1.17 per 100,000 in the prior report.
Symptoms of Covid Eris
Eris is a strain of the Omicron Covid variant. According to ZOE Health Research, the five most common symptoms of Omicron are:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue (mild or severe)
- sneeze
- Sore throat
A New Variant EG
EG.5.1 was first introduced as monitoring on 3 July 2023 as part of a forward-looking analysis due to increased international reporting, particularly in Asia, the UKHSA report said.
Declaring this descent as a variant would allow for a more detailed analysis and description.
The World Health Organization (WHO) started tracking the EG.5.1 variant. People get protected with vaccines and prior infection. The countries should not let down their guard.
As the UK grapples with the rapid spread of the Eris variant, health authorities and experts are closely monitoring the situation and advising the public to take the necessary precautions to limit the spread of the virus and its transmission.