An illustrative image of a person holding a medical syringe and a vaccine vial in front of the Pfizer logo displayed on a screen.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) is vigilantly monitoring a novel variant of Covid-19 known as EG.5, or “Eris,” as it accounts for an increasing number of cases in several countries, including China and the United States.
Designated as a “variant of interest” by the WHO, this strain will be closely observed for any mutations that could potentially enhance its severity.
Based on current evidence, the WHO states that it poses a low global public health risk, similar to other circulating variants. In May, the WHO declared that Covid-19 is now an established and ongoing health issue, no longer constituting a public health emergency of international concern.
Symptoms and Spread
Reports indicate that symptoms of Eris are similar to those of previous variants, including fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, runny nose, and changes in taste and smell.
According to a risk evaluation published by the WHO on August 9, although EG.5 has exhibited increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties, there have been no reported changes in disease severity. The WHO suggests that these properties could potentially propel the variant to become dominant in certain countries or globally.
The official name of the variant is EG.5, while “Eris” is a random nickname that gained popularity online and subsequently popularized the EG.5.1 subvariant.
Sequencing data submitted to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) as of August 7 reveals that the highest number of EG.5 cases have been identified in China, followed by the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Canada.
The variant has also been detected in Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, and Spain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that EG.5 is now the predominant strain in the United States, accounting for 17.3% of cases as of the week ending August 5.
Vaccine Reformulations
EG.5 is a descendant strain of a variant that shares a spike amino acid profile with XBB.1.5.
According to Justin Lessler, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, EG.5 belongs to the XBB lineage and is more closely related to XBB variants than previous vaccine strains. Lessler believes that the forthcoming reformulated vaccines, anticipated to be available in the fall, will offer enhanced protection against EG.5.
New vaccines are expected to be available in the United States by late September as vaccine distribution responsibility shifts to the private sector, as stated by CDC Director Mandy Cohen.
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