by Health Editor
The WHO has classified it as a “variant of interest” as it can become dominant in some countries or globally and could contribute to a surge in cases. However, based on the currently available evidence, the risk to public health is assessed as ‘low’
The new variant of Sars-CoV-2 “EG.5”, renamed “Eris”, has been defined as a “variant of interest” (Voi) by the World Health Organization (WHO) since “it may become dominant in some countries or even globally”.
Growing in the world since the end of May, in mid-July it was included by the WHO in the list of mutants under monitoring (Vum). Now comes the new classification. Is there anything to worry about?
It “runs” fast in China, the USA, South Korea
According to recent WHO findings, the new variant of the coronavirus, also present in Italy, is spreading rapidly in some countries of the world: China, the United States, South Korea.
The WHO points out, however, that “on the basis of the available evidence, the risk to public health posed by EG.5 is assessed as low globally”.
Increase in cases but not in the severity of the disease
Eris is part of the large Omicron family, in particular it is the “daughter” of the Omicron XBB variant. With the classification of «variant of interest» you are brought into line with the level of risk already associated with other variants of the coronavirus such as Arturo and Kraken.
The reasons are explained by the WHO itself: «Based on its genetic characteristics, immune escape characteristics and growth rate estimates, EG.5 could spread globally and contribute to a surge in the incidence of cases. Several countries with increasing prevalence of EG.5 have experienced increases in cases and hospitalizations, although to date there is no evidence of an increase in disease severity directly associated with EG.5.
The WHO, in fact, points out that “the available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional risks to public health compared to the other descendant lineages of Omicron currently in circulation”.
The diffusion of Eris in Italy
The diffusion of the new variant is also increasing in Italy, as emerges from the latest available data, i.e. the weekly bulletin on the monitoring of Covid-19, released on August 4 by the Ministry of Health and the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) and referred to the week from July 28 to August 3. In particular, based on the sequencing data deposited on the I-Co-Gen platform, the ISS detects the proportion of sequencing attributable to EG.5.1 in the last consolidated sampling week (July 10-16: data as of July 31). was equal to 8.8%».
August 10, 2023 (change August 10, 2023 | 12:20)
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