The National Institute for Communicable Diseases says there is no need to panic over the latest virus variant – EG.5 ( dubbed 'Eris').
The latest Covid-19 variant , a highly transmissible but not more severe than the Omicron variant, has been confirmed in Gauteng.On Thursday, two sequenced cases of the ‘EG.5 lineage’ were collected from individuals in Gauteng in June and July respectively.
According to the NICD, EG.5 is part of the Omicron lineage that has evolved from the XBB.1.9.2 lineage by developing additional mutations, similar to other new lineages.On August 9, the World Health Organisation classified the lineage as a ‘variant of interest’ as it has been increasing in prevalence in some parts of the world.
EG.5 is said to not cause any different symptoms or more severe illness than other circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages. The NICD said that there’s no need for concern regarding EG.5, as there is no evidence of severe cases in other nations. “This list is updated regularly to reflect the currently circulating lineages. As of August 17, there are no circulating lineages that are classified as VOCs, three lineages that are classified as VOIs and six classified as VUMs,” Dr Wolter added.
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