COVID-19 hospital admissions have inched upward in the United States since early July but the data shows people need not panic as the hospitalisation as well as death rate is still not higher as compared to the last two summers. According to the US government data, until July 29, COVID-19 hospital admissions were at 9,056-- an increase of about 12 per cent from the previous week.
However, health officials suggest people stay calm but adhere to precautionary measures as the current situation is a far cry from past peaks. Like the 44,000 weekly hospital admissions in early January, the nearly 45,000 in late July 2022, or the 1,50,000 admissions during the omicron surge of January 2022.
As far as the death rate is concerned, the data shows since early June, about 500 to 600 people have died each week. The number of deaths appears to be stable this summer, although past increases in deaths have lagged behind hospitalizations.
Is "Eris" responsible for the surge?
And while one version of omicron — EG.5 — is appearing more frequently, no particular variant of the virus is dominant. The variant has been dubbed “Eris” but it's an unofficial nickname and scientists aren't using it.
“There are a couple that we're watching, but we're not seeing anything like delta or omicron,” Young said, referencing variants that fuelled previous surges.
Mutations in the virus don't necessarily make it more dangerous. "Just because we have a new subvariant doesn't mean that we are destined to have an increase in bad outcomes," Dowdy said.
Does India need to worry?
Although the new Covid variant has been adding to the surge of covid cases in the United Kingdom, also caused a slight increase in caseload in India too, especially in Maharashtra. According to the data of the Ministry of Health, the new variant was first detected in May but did not cause any significant impact-- whether in hospitalisations or deaths.
However, the state health data claims the cases have increased from 70 at the end of July to 115 on August 6. Despite, this India does not need to panic amid the fact it has developed its immune system and the wide range of vaccination in urban and rural areas.
However, doctors still suggest people adhere to covid protocols such as wearing masks and regular check-ups, in case of uneasiness, especially the elderly population.
Also Read: Eris or EG.5.1: Know everything about the new Covid variant spreading quickly in the UK
