Infection
Eris Covid variant sparks fears of rise in cases as UK sees infections spike
Aug
More than one million people have been treated for Covid in England (Victoria Jones/PA)
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More than one million people have been treated for Covid in England (Victoria Jones/PA)
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A new Covid variant has emerged in the UK as cases have once again started to rise.
The Eris variant, technically called EG.5.1, now makes up one in seven new COVID cases, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Descended from the Omicron variant, the UKHSA has been monitoring Eris’ prevalence due to increasing cases internationally.
It was classified as a variant in the UK on 31 July. According to World Health Organisation data, the EG.5 strain was first documented in mid-February this year.
The surge in Covid cases comes as estimated numbers jumped by almost 200,000 last month, from 606,656 predicted cases on 4 July to 785,980 on 27 July, according to The Zoe Health Study.
Eris is now the second most prevalent variant in the UK, after Arcturus which makes up almost half of all infection cases at 39.4 per cent, according to UKHSA.
Officials say they are “closely” monitoring the situation as COVID case rates continue to rise.
Hospital admissions on the rise in the UK as Eris is monitored
A COVID-19 surveillance report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that hospital admissions in the UK are on the rise:
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UKHSA, said:
“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.”
In another report focussing on variant monitoring, EG.5.1, or Eris, was officially acknowledged as a variant:
“EG.5.1 was first raised as a signal in monitoring on 3 July 2023 as part of horizon scanning due to increasing reports internationally, particularly in Asia.”
“In the week beginning 10 July 2023, 11.8% of UK sequences had been classified as EG.5.1 (data as of 27 July 2023).”
Eris: What are the symptoms of the new variant?
As a strain of Omicron, the symptoms for Eris are fairly similar. Everything we know:
Experts weigh in on Eris
Independent Sage member Prof Christina Pagel told The Independent she believes the UK is “definitely starting another wave” driven by Omicron subvariants, Arcturus and Eris, waning immunity and poor weather.
She said: “The wet weather over the last few weeks probably isn’t helping either as it keeps people inside.”
But head of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, Professor Azeem Majeed downplayed the concerns about the Eris variant.
“I don’t feel that people should be unduly worried by the recent increase in Covid-19 cases. Case numbers will fluctuate and there will be periods when the number of cases in the UK increases,” he told The Independent.
He said that EG.5.1 is a version of the Omicron variant that appeared in the UK at the end of 2021, and WHO has designated EG.5 as a variant under monitoring (VUM) but not as a variant of concern (VOC).
