WHO names COVID-19 'Eris' strain as 'variant of interest'
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday identified the EG.5 or "Eris" strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in India and other parts of the world as a "variant of interest." However, the world health body clarified that it did not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than any of the other COVID-19 strains.
Why does this story matter?
It is worth noting that COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 6.9 million people across the world, with over 768 million confirmed cases since the highly contagious virus emerged in November 2019. In March 2020, WHO officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. It ended the global emergency for the novel virus earlier this year in May.
Know about COVID-19 'Eris' or EG.5 strain
Eris is a descendant lineage of the Omicron XBB.1.9.2 subvariant and carries an additional mutation in the spike protein compared to its parent subvariant. According to the news agency PTI, the WHO also flagged that the subvariant EG.5.1 has an additional spike mutation and represents 88% of the available sequences for Eris and its descendent lineages.
How deadly is COVID-19 'Eris' strain? WHO answers
"Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages," Reuters quoted the WHO as saying in its risk evaluation. The global health body further added that a more comprehensive evaluation of the risk posed by EG.5 is needed.
WHO officials give details on COVID-19 'Eris' strain's severity
The WHO's technical lead on coronavirus, Maria Van Kerkhove, stated that Eris had increased transmissibility but wasn't more powerful than other Omicron variants. "We don't detect a change in severity of EG.5 compared to other sublineages of Omicron," said Kerkhove. Furthermore, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed that only 11% had reported ICU admissions and hospitalizations linked to the virus.
List of countries that reported most EG.5 cases
China has the most EG.5 sequences (30.6%, 2,247 sequences), with the United States (US), Canada, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom (UK) reporting at least 100 sequences. Meanwhile, India has so far reported one case of Eris from Pune in May this year.
