Eris = new Covid Varient

[calendria]

 


Amid summer uptick in COVID-19 cases, a new COVID subvariant, EG.5, also referred to as Eris, has emerged and become the dominant strain in the United States. Many are wondering if this new COVID variant is causing different symptoms.

EG.5 now accounts for the largest proportion of COVID-19 infections in the country compared to any other variant, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


On Wednesday, Aug. 9, the World Health Organization classified EG.5 as a variant of interest as cases increase globally.

The EG.5 variant quickly overtook the prevailing omicron XBB strains in the U.S. last month.

Over a two-week period ending on Aug. 5, EG.5 made up an estimated 17.3% of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S., up from 12% two weeks prior, according to the latest CDC estimates.

What is EG.5 , aka Eris?
EG.5 is a descendant of the omicron XBB sublineage of the virus (specifically, XBB.1.9.2). It has an extra mutation in its spike protein, according to a WHO risk evaluation report.

"When we look at its sequence, EG.5 is really similar to the other XBB variants that are circulating right now, with a couple of small changes," Dr. Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University, tells TODAY.com.

The WHO added EG. 5 to its list of variants under monitoring on July 19, 2023, but the variant was first detected in February 2023. "Scientists have known about this variant, and it’s been present in other countries, as well," says Pekosz.

The EG.5 variant is very similar to other omicron variants, which means it's highly transmissible, Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease physician and professor at Yale School of Public Health, tells TODAY.com.

However, EG.5 is likely more transmissible than other XBB variants, Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, tells TODAY.com.

All COVID-19 tests — including PCR tests performed by a medical provider and rapid at-home antigen tests sold over-the-counter — should be detecting EG.5, says Pekosz.



Continue reading:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/what-are-the-symptoms-of-new-covid-variant-eris-taking-over-the-us/ar-AA1f616c?OCID=ansmsnnews11

[linderlizzie]

Wow! Thanks for that good news, calendria. I thought Fauci and company would lie low for a while. I guess not. 

[fluffyubnny937]

There's only one thing we can do. We have to defy this and show how it's no big deal by spitting into each others mouths.

[cathy37]

I have decided that they will always be a new Covid Varient quite often.  All we can do is get the boosters and hope for the best.

[oldbuddy]

I am not going to sweat it, I probably only have 5 or 10 years left to live anyway (I'm 85 and Diabetic), so I am just going to go on the same as always. Last Christmas I had Covid-10 and pneumonia at the same time and only spent 3 days in the hospital followed by a three-week quarantine, but I survived.

[calendria]

 


 

New Covid vaccines are on the way as 'Eris' variant rises

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/new-covid-vaccines-are-on-the-way-as-eris-variant-rises/ar-AA1ffItI?OCID=ansmsnnews11

A new COVID vaccine is due out next month, but health experts and analysts say it is likely to be coolly received even as hospitalizations from "Eris", a variant of the Omicron form of the coronavirus, rise around the country.

Some public health experts hope that Americans will welcome the new shot as they would a flu jab. But demand for the vaccine has dropped sharply since 2021 when it first became available and more than 240 million people in the U.S., or 73% of the population, received at least one shot.

In the fall of 2022, by which time most people had either had the COVID virus or the vaccine, fewer than 50 million people got the shots.

Healthcare providers and pharmacies such as CVS Health will start next month to offer the shot, updated to fight the Omicron version of the virus that has been dominant since last year.

They will be fighting declining concern about the virus, as well as fatigue and skepticism about the merits of this vaccine, Kaiser Family Foundation Director of Survey Methodology Ashley Kirzinger said.

Last year, Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine sales topped $56 billion worldwide; analysts project around $20 billion for this year.



More on this :    https://www.verywellhealth.com/covid-vaccine-2023-formulation-xbb15-7547800

[calendria]

 

😷They are getting ready:


https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/what-to-know-about-new-covid-booster-rsv-vaccines-flu-shots-this-fall/ar-AA1fo4tA

What’s happening with the new covid booster?

New covid booster shots with an updated formula targeting XBB subvariants of the virus is expected to hit the market in late September, pending regulatory approvals by the Food and Drug Administration, guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on who should get an updated shot, and timely delivery by manufacturers.

[metsrock69]

After covid came and went, I don't even listen to the news about new variants . it is all to make news headlines and scare the crap out of people. Covid is done and that is all there is to it

[oldbuddy]

After covid came and went, I don't even listen to the news about new variants . it is all to make news headlines and scare the crap out of people. Covid is done and that is all there is to it

I sure hope you're right buddy. I had Covid and Pneumonia at the same time and spent a few days in the hospital guessing if I would make it.

[metsrock69]

After covid came and went, I don't even listen to the news about new variants . it is all to make news headlines and scare the crap out of people. Covid is done and that is all there is to it

I sure hope you're right buddy. I had Covid and Pneumonia at the same time and spent a few days in the hospital guessing if I would make it.

Well I am glad you did make it. Also the news always blows things out of proportion