The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the new variant of the COVID-19 Coronavirus as Eris, describing it as a “variant of interest” and a variant of the Omicron mutant, reports Al-Rai daily. In this regard, the WHO Technical Director Maria Van Kerkhove said, “This strain has increased transmissibility, but is not more severe than other Omicron variants.” According to public health experts, there is no evidence so far that the emerging strain is more powerful than previous strains. Also, the characteristics of the new sub-mutant are not much different from the previous strains. Meanwhile, health sources affirmed that the emergence of COVID-19 mutants is expected.
They explained that the available evidence, based on reports and preliminary information regarding this mutant, is not a cause for concern, as there is no evidence that it causes a more serious or more severe disease than other Omicron mutants. However, the usual precautionary measures must be taken, the most important of which is to avoid crowded areas.
While the spread of this strain is increasing worldwide, after being discovered in about 51 countries including Britain, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, France, Portugal and Spain, some global statistics on the spread of the COVID-19 virus particularly the new strain indicate the following:-
- COVID-19 increased by 80 percent within a month.
- About 1.5 million cases were recorded worldwide during the period from July 10 to August 6 this year.
- About 17.4 percent of the COVID-19 cases are caused by the new variant.
- The new variant is the most common variant in the UK, after Arcturus.
In this regard, international experts in the field of public health explained that, with the seasonal fluctuations and the lack of testing facilities, it may be difficult to differentiate between Eris mutant infection and influenza or the common cold. The symptoms of Eris strain infection differ from one person to another.
- Most of those who are infected with this strain suffer from mild symptoms, most notably:-
- fever
- sore throat
- Runny nose and cough
- Body and muscle pain
- Fatigue and diarrhea
- sneezing
In addition, experts said they expect the availability of vaccines to have a high degree of protection against the new subvariant, adding that they believe the measures to prevent the new variant include the following:-
- Follow a healthy lifestyle
- Take booster doses for those who are eligible to receive them.
- Wear face masks
- Ventilate rooms
