The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring a new strain of Covid-19 known as EG.5 or “Eris” that is increasingly becoming a dominant variant in countries such as China and the United States. The WHO has designated EG.5 as a “variant of interest” and will be closely monitoring any mutations that could potentially make it more severe.
According to the WHO, based on current evidence, EG.5 presents a low public health risk at a global level, similar to other circulating variants. In May, the WHO announced that Covid-19 is now considered an ongoing health issue and no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
Symptoms of Eris are reported to be similar to previous variants, including fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, runny nose, and changes in taste and smell. The WHO stated that while EG.5 has shown increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, there have been no reported changes in disease severity to date. However, these properties may lead the variant to become dominant in certain countries or globally.
The official name of the variant is EG.5, with “Eris” being a random nickname given online that then gained popularity for the EG.5.1 subvariant. Based on sequencing information submitted to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) as of August 7, China had identified the largest portion of EG.5 cases, followed by the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Canada. It has also been identified in other countries such as Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, and Spain.
In the United States, EG.5 has now become the dominant strain, accounting for 17.3% of cases as of the week ending August 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Experts believe that EG.5 is a descendant strain of a variant that shares a spike amino acid profile with XBB.1.5. Justin Lessler, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, stated that due to EG.5’s close relation to the XBB variants, reformulated vaccines expected to be available in the U.S. from late September will provide better protection against EG.5 than previous vaccines.
As responsibility for vaccine distribution shifts to the private sector, CDC Director Mandy Cohen expects new vaccines to be available in the U.S. from late September.
As the WHO continues to monitor the EG.5 variant, it emphasizes the importance of following public health guidelines, such as vaccination, wearing masks, practicing good hand hygiene, and maintaining social distancing, to prevent the spread of all Covid-19 variants.