An Omicron subvariant also known as Eris or EG.5.1, was initially classified as a variant in the United Kingdom (UK) on July 31, 2023. It has now become the second most widespread variant in the UK, with Arcturus or XBB.1.16 variant being the most prevalent at 39.4% infection cases according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Eris or EG.5.1 has shown relevant increase worldwide in a matter of weeks following its addition to the World Health Organization official monitoring list. It was reported that 10% of the total Covid cases in the UK were from this strain.
On July 3, 2023, the UKHSA raised Eris or EG.5.1 as a signal for monitoring due increased reports in Asia and around the world. The World Health Organization considered Eris or EG.5.1 variant as variant of interest and shall be monitored for mutations that could lead to increase in Covid cases.
During the week of July 10, 2023, it was reported that 11.8% of the UK sequences had been categorized as Eris (data as of July 27, 2023) and recent data indicated that 14.6% of the total cases were accounted for the Eris variant.
According to the ZOE Health Study, the five most common symptoms of Omicron are runny nose, headache, fatigue (mild or severe), sneezing, and sore throat.
According to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy summary and a recent podcast from the American Medical Association, the spike protein is the part of the virus that allows it to enter human cells. However, there's no indication so far that EG.5 is more contagious or severe than other recent variants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that current vaccines protect against the variant.