According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics, the coronavirus strain known as "Eris" is responsible for more than one out of every five new cases in recent weeks.
The leading strain circulating in the United States, according to CDC data, is EG.5, or "Eris," which has caused around 22% of infections in the last two weeks. The strain has expanded in recent weeks as XBB.1.5 declines.
It is also the most common strain worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The health organisation identified EG.5 as a "variant of interest," warning that it could lead to an upsurge in infections globally.
According to WHO, EG.5 appears to be more transmissible and capable of evading immunity provided by vaccinations and past infection. Nonetheless, it does not appear to pose a greater hazard to public health than other variants at this time, and "there is no evidence of an increase in disease severity directly associated with EG.5”.
Its growth in the United States coincides with a six-week spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
BA.2.86, a severely mutated strain discovered in low levels in the United States, is not yet included in the CDC's variant tracker. According to the CDC, BA.2.86 was responsible for less than 1% of illnesses in the United States over the last two weeks. According to the WHO, EG.5 had been discovered in more than 50 countries as of August 8.
According to CDC data, COVID-19-related hospitalizations are up more than 40% from recent lows in June but remain more than 90% lower than peak levels during the January 2022 Omicron outbreak.
The amount of virus found in wastewater across the country, as well as the number of weekly prescriptions for the COVID therapy Paxlovid, have all increased dramatically in the last month, albeit from low levels.
This week, the CDC upgraded their risk assessment for BA.2.86. According to the report, "With this variation, the COVID-19 detection and treatment methods currently in use remain successful."
Furthermore, researchers anticipate that the new COVID-19 booster doses, which will be available this month, will likely protect against severe sickness and hospitalization caused by the strain.
Eris responsible for 22% of New COVID-19 infections, reports
The CDC reports that as of right now, less than 1% of illnesses in the United States over the previous two weeks were caused by the new, significantly changed BA.2.86 strain
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