The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently classified the EG.5 coronavirus strain, which is currently circulating in the United States, UK and China, as a “variant of interest”.
Despite its rapid spread and prevalence, accounting for over 17 per cent of cases in the US, the WHO has stated that it does not appear to pose a greater threat to public health than other existing variants
Eris is a descendant of Omicron and shares some of its symptoms, including runny nose, headache, fatigue (ranging from mild to severe), sneezing and a sore throat.
However, the organisation has called for a more comprehensive evaluation of the potential risks posed by this variant.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the virus has claimed the lives of over 6.9 million people worldwide, with more than 768 million confirmed cases reported.
The pandemic status of the outbreak has declared by the WHO in March 2020, but the global emergency status lifted in May of this year.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, noted that while the EG.5 variant is more transmissible, it is not more severe than other Omicron variants.