The World Health Organization is monitoring the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus, referred to as EG.5.1, now nicknamed "Eris." The organization noted that "the variant has been on surveillance lists for about three weeks," according to Forbes.
According to WHO observations, the variant does not appear to cause different or more severe symptoms than previous variants. However, it currently shows a higher transmissibility among humans, with the UK Health Security Agency estimating that "the new version of the virus accounted for 14.5 percent of new infection cases in the country, growing at a rate of 20 percent weekly."
Forbes also reported that "the virus is increasingly showing up in wastewater testing in the United States, raising doubts about the reported infection figures, as people are becoming less likely to test or report infections."
COVID Eris (EG.5.1) symptoms: All we know about new variant driving surge in cases. Eris is a strain of Omicron. According to the ZOE Health Study, the five most common symptoms of Omicron are:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
