Public health officials are keeping an eye on a new COVID-19 variant named Eris that has been making the rounds this summer.
Scientifically referred to as EG.5, the variant was added to the World Health Organization’s monitoring list after it began gaining ground in both the UK and the U.S.
The UK Health Security Agency logged an alarming increase in Eris variant infections of 20.51% per week, making it the second most common variant as of July 20.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the Eris variant has accounted for 17.3% of documented COVID-19 infections in the U.S. between July 23 and August 5.
This has contributed to a rise in the overall number of those hospitalized with COVID-19, totaling 9,056 in that same week for an increase of 12.5% from the week prior.
Eris surpassed the variant Arcturus, also known as XBB.1.16, as the most prevalent in U.S. COVID-19 infections on August 5.
Both are subvariants of the Omicron strain, which appeared in late 2021, and are associated with the following symptoms:
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Persistent headache
- Overwhelming fatigue
- Frequent sneezing
- Throat discomfort
- Continuous coughing
- Altered sense of smell
When asked by The Press Democrat how worried the public should be about Eris, Dr. Karen Smith, interim health officer of Sonoma County, suggested that, while it seems to be spreading quickly, it does not appear to be associated with worsening symptoms.
“EG.5 does seem to have finally out competed its closely related siblings,” Smith said.
“It appears to be about the same pathogenicity as recent Omicron variants,” she added, noting this is “good news,” as it means EG.5 is not causing more serious cases of the illness.
As recently covered in The Dallas Express, research suggests that the severity of COVID-19 can be heavily influenced by a person’s weight.
Those who are obese have higher levels of inflammation in the body than those who are of a healthy weight. This can hinder the immune system’s response to viruses, making it more difficult to fight infection.
Overall, while it has not been overwhelming, there has been an uptick in COVID-19 cases recently, according to Dr. Rogelio Castaneda from ER of Texas, an around-the-clock emergency care facility in Dallas-Fort Worth.
“I have talked to other providers in the metroplex in Dallas, and all the emergency departments are getting busier due to COVID,” he told NBC 5 DFW.