There’s a new COVID strain spreading across the UK, according to reports
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According to reports from the World Health Organisation - who in May, stated that COVID-19 was officially "over" - a new strain descended from the Omicron variant has been labelled as a "variant of interest." Named EG.5, it's said to be a fast-spreading strain and, so far, has been detected in 51 countries. This includes the UK, US, China, France, Portugal, Spain, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Japan.
In the week starting 19 June, one in 13 cases were confirmed as the new variant. Now, new data suggests these numbers have increased, with the strain accounting for one in six cases (17.4%). The World Health Organisation has since branded this a "notable rise."
Despite this, the variant has been deemed a low public health risk, which should provide some peace of mind. WHO's technical lead on COVID, Maria Van Kerkhove, also revealed that while EG.5 has a high transmissibility rate, its effects are not as severe as other strains of Omicron.
During a risk evaluation, the WHO stated that "available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages."
They also added that - even though the strain has demonstrated "increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties" - in terms of "disease severity" there have been no reported changes to date.
As well as EG.5, the new strain also includes a subvariant called EG.5.1. FYI, online and on social media, this additional variant is being referred to as 'Eris.' Last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shared some figures on the sub-strain, revealing that it now accounts for one in new seven new cases in the UK.
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