How dangerous is the New COVID ‘Eris’ variant and will the vaccines work

EG.5 – or Eris, as it’s been nicknamed – was discovered in China in February and detected in the U.S. in April, and now accounts for more than 17% of all COVID-19 cases nationwide.

• What you need to know about the new variant.
• What are the symptoms of other COVID-19 variants?

Dr. David Alain Wohl, an infectious diseases professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has stated that [EG.5] does not seem to cause new symptoms or look very different then other COVID-19 Straines. The virus does not seem to be evolving to be more dangerous. It seems to be following the same trends as the other varients

As a subvariant of the Omicron family, EG.5 is quite similar to the XBB variant, which has been around for a while and was dominant months ago. The symptoms alone will not tell you which variant you have (genomics sequencing isn’t a regular part of clinical care). However, symptoms of EG.5 are likely to resemble those of other COVID-19 variants, such as:

• Night sweats or a fever
• Coughing fits
• Nose congestion or runny nose
• Throat irritation
• Loss of taste or smell

The situation is still very early, according to Dr. Jessica Justman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University School of Public Health and senior technical director at ICAP. But from everything I’m seeing, reading and hearing, I don’t think this variant will be more virulent, cause more severe symptoms, to cause more hospitalizations, or to cause more deaths than any of the other more recent variants.

As a “variant of interest,” EG.5 does not seem to pose a more significant threat to public health than other variants, according to the World Health Organization. Experts say that even though EG.5 isn’t any stronger then its predessor, it isn’t any less dangerous either. If your symptoms from EG.5 are less severe than what you experienced with a previous COVID-19 illness, it’s not because the virus is losing strength — it might be a result of your own immune resilience to the virus.

Symptoms can be difficult to interpret with a new subvariant, because not only is the virus different, but we are different too. Wohl explains that we have a greater immune system. As a result of having Omicron previously, the vaccine, or a booster, you have greater immunity from the virus. Thus, you will have fewer respiratory infections deep down in the lungs.”

How contagious is Eris?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that there is no evidence that EG.5 is more likely to spread, and current treatments and vaccines will continue to be effective. They are simply keeping an eye on the spread and trends of this variant, as it continues to infect citizens.

Every year, we see a slight increase in COVID cases during the summer, so the recent spike isn’t too surprising, experts say.

Justman says that if you analyze a graph of hospitalizations over the past three years, this is the smallest increase. The number of COVID-related hospitalizations in the United States was 9,000 last week, according to data posted on July 29. Last summer, around the same time, it was 45,000. So it is a very small uptick in active cases.

In his view, new case counts tend to underestimate how many new cases are out there because at-home test kits are so common that they can be used outside of a doctor’s office. They’re not as reliable as high-quality data, such as hospitalizations or emergency room visits. Therefore, we may not be able to determine how prevalent EG.5 really is for some time.

It usually takes one or two weeks for COVID to take hold. First, there are more cases, then more hospitalizations, usually within a week or two of the increase in cases. In the event there is going to be an increase in deaths, she says, it will take another couple of weeks. “It is still too early to say whether or not this is going to have a higher mortality rate, but no evidence has been provided yet that it does.”

Is EG.5 protected by vaccines and boosters?

Wohl says the bivalent vaccine still appears to offer some protection, even though it was designed to combat the BA.5 subvariant, which accounted for most COVID cases last summer.

In the fall, a new vaccine will be available to combat XBB, which is one subvariant removed from EG.5.

Wohl explains, “It will be really hard to keep up with every single dominant variant circulating on the planet right now, but XBB will give us a degree of protection,” he says.

Experts say that while the ideal vaccine would make us completely immune to infection, breakthrough cases can happen even among fully vaccinated individuals. But vaccines are an important defense against severe illness, hospitalization, and even death.

Vaccine and boosters are always a positive ideas as they boosts your antibody levels and it gives a reminder that your body needs to be on high alert for the virus. Furthermore they also tune up your cell-mediated immunity, particularly your T cells, so that they’re all in a better position to combat any variant. So keep pursuing the latest vaccines as they are released.

Are there any implications for future variants and COVID-19 based on this new variant?

We should expect a higher number of infections in the fall and winter as with previous COVID seasons. And since the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates rapidly, Justman says new variants are likely to emerge in the future.

Wohl says it is great that we are paying attention, because one day there will be a variant that is different. There will be variants that our immune system doesn’t actually recognize as well, either from previous infections or from our vaccinations. That’s why we need to be nimble and remain on High Alert.