WHO Makes New Declaration on COVID-19
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated a novel strain of COVID-19 as a “variant of interest.”
However, the WHO has clarified that this new variant does not pose a significant public health threat.
This variant, referred to as EG.5 or “Eris,” is linked to an Omicron subvariant named XBB.1.9.2 and is showing an increasing prevalence globally.
The presence of the EG.5 variant has been detected in multiple countries, including the UK, China, and the United States.
The WHO has assessed the public health risk associated with this variant as low on a global scale. The organization emphasized that the risk level is comparable to that of other circulating variants of interest.
Although EG.5 has demonstrated heightened prevalence, advantages in growth, and properties for evading the immune response, there have been no reported changes in disease severity up to the current date.
The WHO has outlined several actions for member states to prioritize, aimed at gaining a better understanding of antibody escape and the severity of EG.5. One key action involves monitoring indicators of severity.
While the prevalence of the variant appears to be on the rise, with indications of better immune evasion, there is no evidence suggesting that it leads to more severe disease.
Christina Pagel, a Professor of operational research at University College London, explained that while EG.5 might result in an increase in cases, including hospitalizations and Long Covid, there’s no immediate reason to anticipate it being worse than previous waves this year.
Professor Pagel pointed out that waning immunity, whether due to vaccinations or prior infections, might cause the EG.5 wave to peak later and potentially be more extensive.
According to virologist Professor Stephen Griffin from the University of Leeds, the variant’s prevalence in the UK is rising at a relatively slow pace.
However, due to its infectiousness and ability to evade antibodies, the number of cases may increase more rapidly when students return to school, and people resume work and university activities following the summer break.
