Covid-19 Update: Coronavirus is making headlines once more. A new variation, EG.5.1, descended from the quickly spreading Omicron, has kept UK health officials on their toes. The strain EG.5.1, called Eris, was first identified in the UK last month and is now rapidly spreading across the country, according to PTI, citing health authorities in England.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), EG.5.1, also known as Eris, accounts for one out of every seven new COVID cases, according to the report. According to the most recent data, it now accounts for 14.6% of cases, making it the second most common in the UK, according to Sky News.
“COVID-19 case rates continued to increase this week compared to our previous report. 5.4% of 4,396 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were identified as COVID-19. This is compared to 3.7% of 4,403 from the previous report,” the UKHSA said in a report.
“We continue to see a rise in COVID-19 cases in this week’s report. We have also seen a small rise in hospital admission rates in most age groups, particularly among the elderly. Overall levels of admission still remain extremely low and we are not currently seeing a similar increase in ICU admissions. We will continue to monitor these rates closely,” said Dr Mary Ramsay, UKHSA’s Head of Immunisation.
“Regular and thorough hand washing helps protect you from COVID-19 and other bugs and viruses. If you have symptoms of a respiratory illness, we recommend staying away from others where possible,” she said.
Increase in cases worldwide
On July 31, Eris was categorised as a variation when its prevalence was recorded in the country due to an increase in cases worldwide, notably in Asia.
“EG.5.1 was first raised as a signal in monitoring on July 3, 2023, as part of horizon scanning due to increasing reports internationally, particularly in Asia,” the UKHSA said.
“It was subsequently raised from a signal in monitoring to a variant V-23JUL-01 on July 31, 2023, due to the increasing number of genomes in UK data, and continued growth internationally. Declaring this lineage as a variant will allow further detailed characterisation and analysis,” it said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) began tracking the EG.5.1 variety just over two weeks ago, when WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that while vaccines and prior infection provide better protection, countries should not relax their watch.
As the UK grapples with the Eris variant’s rapid spread, health officials and specialists are actively watching the issue and encouraging the public to take the appropriate precautions to limit its transmission.
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