EG.5, nicknamed Eris after the Greek goddess of strife and discord has seen experts become increasingly concerned with the speed in which it’s spreading. It means mass social occasions such as the upcoming Federal holiday could amplify the situation.
Socializing will peak over the weekend as millions head to parties, parades and celebrations across the country. However it comes as variant EG.5, that first emerged late last year, has now spread to be the dominant form of Covid in the US, most likely leading to the Summer uptick in hospitalizations
New Yorkers have been told to mask up over Labor Day weekend amid fears a new Covid variant could lead to possible superspread.
Texas has also become the fifth state in the US to detect the highly mutated Covid variant BA.2.86 also known as Pirola. The variant, feared to be better at infecting vaccinated people than previous strains, has also been detected in Ohio, Virginia, Michigan and New York.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates, Eirs was responsible for 20.6% of cases of coronavirus in the US in the third week of August, which – more than any other strain. New York authorities are warning people to take extra precautions this Labor Day.
The BA.2.86 lineage, first detected in Denmark last month, carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the Covid virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023. Switzerland and Israel have also recorded cases of the new variant.
CDC spokesperson Scott Pauley told Daily Express US the CDC recommends that all people are up to date on their vaccines before they travel, saying: “Anyone may choose to wear a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor areas, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs at any time.”
First identified in February this year, Eris has one new mutation in its spike protein which may allow it to avoid immunity after infection or vaccination. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Eris as a “variant of interest,” which warns countries to monitor it more closely than other strains. The new variant is likely behind an uptick in hospitalizations due to Covid.
