The head of the Epidemiological Surveillance Program at the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Nada Ghosn, clarified that "the ministry conducts genetic tests continuously to determine the COVID variants present in Lebanon, at the National Influenza Center at Rafik Hariri University Hospital. As of now, these tests have not detected the EG5 variant known as 'Iris'." Ghosn mentioned in an interview with the National News Agency that "the ministry regularly prepares a weekly report about COVID on its website, and genetic testing results will be added to this report. Updated results will be released next week and announced accordingly. If the new variant is confirmed, the ministry will not hesitate to announce it transparently, especially since the Ministry of Public Health has the required technical capabilities to identify the types of variants present."
She pointed out that "the new variant EG5 was first discovered in February 2023. According to the World Health Organization's weekly report, this variant has been recorded in 48 countries to date, and it does not cause an increase in the occurrence of complications." She recalled that "the ministry had previously explained that the current increase in COVID cases in Lebanon does not deviate from expectations during a tourist season characterized by increased mixing in large gatherings, which raises the risk of infection, especially since the coronavirus is highly transmissible."
