On August 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the latest Covid variant, EG.5.1, unofficially known as, Eris, as a variant of interest. Though the overall risk evaluation by WHO places this variant at a low level, medical professionals advise people to remain vigilant, assuring that there’s little cause for concern as only a single case was reported in the country.
Dr. Kiran Madala, scientific committee convenor of the Indian Medical Association, Telangana State, said that the sole case of EG.5.1 detected in the country was on May 10 in Maharashtra. Since then, a total of 335 samples have been collected from across the country, with 30 from Telangana, and none of them have tested positive thus far. EG.5.1 displays moderate growth advantages, a moderate level of antibody escape, and low severity.
EG.5.1 is a descendant of the XBB 1.9.2 variant, sharing a similar spike amino acid profile with XBB 1.5. Its emergence was first documented on February 17, leading to its designation as a variant under monitoring (VUM) on July 19. By August 7, 7,354 sequences of EG.5 had been submitted to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) from 51 countries.
