WHO declares ‘Eris’ Covid strain a variant of interest as cases rise globally

The Eris variant is growing in prevalence globally and appears to be better at evading the immune system, allowing it to compete with other variants circulating. Photograph: Tanya C Smith/Alamy

A new strain of Covid-19 has been designated as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization, although the public health risk has been judged as low.

The variant, known as EG.5 or “Eris”, is related to an Omicron subvariant called XBB.1.9.2, and is growing in prevalence globally, with countries including the UK, China and US among those affected.