New Covid variant in the UK: A new COVID-19 variant is spreading rapidly across the United Kingdom. The variant, Eris, has become a cause of concern among all the nearby countries.
According to a report by PTI, the variant EG.5.1 which has descended from the rapidly spreading Omicron, was first flagged last month in the UK.
‘EG.5.1 was first raised as a signal in monitoring on 3 July 2023 as part of horizon scanning due to increasing reports internationally, particularly in Asia. It was subsequently raised from a signal in monitoring to a variant V-23JUL-01 on 31 July 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 characterization and analysis,” said the UKHSA in a statement.
According to UKHSA, the new variant now makes up one in seven new COVID cases. As per a report on August 3, 5.4 percent of 4,396 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were identified as COVID-19. This is compared to 3.7 percent of 4,403 from the previous report, it added. Amidst the rise, the World Health Organization (WHO), has advised the countries to stay alert and follow the Covid appropriate behaviour.
What is Covid variant ‘Eris’?
The new variant, EG.5.1, has descended from the rapidly spreading Omicron. Last month, the variant EG.5.1, nicknamed Eris, was first flagged in the UK and it is now rapidly spreading across the country.
“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 as quoted by several media reports.
According to media reports, the World Health Organisation (WHO) started tracking the EG.5.1 variant when WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said though people are better protected by vaccines and prior infection, countries should not let down their guard.
What are symptoms of Covid variant Eris?
According to the ZOE Health Study, the five most common symptoms of Omicron are:
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Blocked nose
- Sneezing
- Dry cough
- Headache
- Wet cough
- Hoarse voice
- Muscle aches
- Altered smell
The study also revealed that the main symptoms are similar to the Omicron ones. However, shortness of breath, a loss of smell, and a fever are no longer the main symptoms, as per reports.
