A new variant of the COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the United Kingdom, sparking fears of a resurgent wave as infection rates are rising in the country, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The variant EG.5.1, nicknamed Eris, makes up for one in seven COVID-19 cases in the UK and was classified as a variant on July 31. "EG.5.1 was was first raised as a signal in monitoring on July 3, 2023, as part of horizon scanning due to increasing reports internationally, particularly in Asia," said the UKHSA.
Increasing number of cases in the UK
As per the latest report by the UKHSA on August 3, COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country. "5.4% of 4,396 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were identified as COVID-19. This is compared to 3.7% of 4,403 from the previous report," said the agency in its report.
The overall COVID-19 admission rate for the week has also increased from 1.17 to 1.97 per 100,000 population, says the report. However, ICU admission rates have decreased to 0.05 from 0.07.
Senior citizens aged above 85 are yet again the most vulnerable populations to the COVID-19, surging from 9.8 to 20.49 per 100,000 population in the latest report.
"We continue to see a rise in COVID-19 cases in this week’s report. We have also seen a small rise in hospital admission rates in most age groups, particularly among the elderly. Overall levels of admission still remain extremely low and we are not currently seeing a similar increase in ICU admissions. We will continue to monitor these rates closely," says Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UKHSA.
WHO's warning about Eris variant
The World Health Organisation (WHO) initiated efforts to track the Eris variant last month as Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned countries to not let their guard down inspite of vaccines and prior infections.
The latest UKHSA data that Eris accounts for 14.6% of all COVID-19 cases in the country. However, further spread may lead to another COVID-19 wave in the country.
Common symptoms associated with the Eris variant are similar to Omicron strains, including sore throat, headache, runny nose, sneezing, and varying levels of fatigue, as per reports.
(with PTI inputs)
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