New Covid strain in circulation, may not be a concern for India

A new strain of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in the United Kingdom last month. The EG.5.1 variant, code-named Eris, accounts for 14.6 per cent of all cases in the country. However, the strain may not be a concern for India, an expert told Down to Earth (DTE). 

Patients in the United States, Europe and Asia have also been found infected with Eris. In the UK, about 39.4 per cent of the cases are due to the XBB.1.16 strain, also known as Arcturus. 

While it is currently not clear whether any EG.5.1 variants have been reported in India, New Delhi-based public health specialist and consultant physician Chandrakant Lahariya said there is no concern due to the nature of the virus and the country’s past exposure.

As a strain of Omicron, the variant symptoms include runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a sore throat.

There were 1,543 active COVID cases in India on August 8, 2023, according to the website of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Read more: New COVID-19 variant ‘Eris’: How bad is the new EG.5.1 variant?

Even in the UK, Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement that though they continued to see a rise in COVID-19 cases over the last week, there was a small rise in hospital admission rates in most age groups, particularly among the elderly.

“Overall levels of admission still remain extremely low and we are not currently seeing a similar increase in admissions in the intensive care unit. We will continue to monitor these rates closely,” Ramsay said, adding the variant is under surveillance.

However, the US is showing signs of a new wave of cases, according to Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine, and the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

The wave has been accompanied by a less than 10 per cent rise in COVID hospitalisations, he said in a newsletter. But there has been no rise in deaths yet. 

“There’s nothing to connect the dots between EG.5.1 and this wave, which, while noteworthy and concerning, is not anything like Omicron — it’s less than 10 per cent. We don’t know when this wave will peak and whether the rise of EG.5.1 is contributing,” Topol said.

However, the strain certainly does not look benign, he added. “Don’t ever forget the toll of long COVID that results from such waves,” Topol said.