New Covid Variant Eris Arrives In UK: Should India Be Worried?

After battling the micro-villain Corona virus for more than three years, the world finally heaved a sigh of relief when the number of cases of the disease came down in 2022. From being one of the most difficult diseases to overcome, COVID-19 has become one of the most common. Diseases that can be controlled. Like other diseases, it also progresses rapidly and new forms are discovered from time to time. While some types of coronavirus appear to be mild to moderate, others are in the news for how dangerous they are. The latest variant spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom is a sub-version called EG.5.1, nicknamed Eris.
Variant aeris is spreading rapidly in the UK, with the virus affecting one in seven patients with Covid. As per reports, it now accounts for more than 14 per cent of the cases in the country. The cases are rising rapidly, which has health officials worried.

Covid-19 variant cases on the rise, but hospitalizations still low
After an almost quiet year, the COVID-19 sub-variant called ARIS has affected not only the United Kingdom, but also the United States and Japan. This strain, first identified in July 2023, has become the second most prominent variant in the UK. According to data from the UK Health Protection Agency (UKHSA), EG.5.1, which is a sub-lineage of Omicron, has caused a significant increase in coronavirus cases. Traces of the new variant of COVID-19 were found in more than 5 percent of tests conducted on individuals with respiratory illnesses last week, the agency reported.
While health officials have expressed concern, there has been a slight increase in the number of hospitalizations due to this type. Reports suggest that although there has been a significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases, there has not been a significant increase in the number of hospitalizations.
Should India worry about the new Covid variant Aris?
Eris or Omicron EG 5.1 is a new variant of the COVID-19 Omicron virus. The symptoms of this variant of Kovid are not much different from the previous variants of the virus. Symptoms of Eris are similar to those of Omicron, including fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, aches and pains, Dr. Hemlata Arora, senior consultant, internal medicine, Nanavati Max Super Specialty Hospital, Mumbai, tells Health Shots Are.

Since this variant is highly contagious, Dr. Arora believes that this variant will “likely spread around the world as it appears to be contagious. However, it is unlikely to become a major concern. Most of the country The halves already have herd immunity and would even have some antibodies to fight off a new variant and this variant has not yet shown any signs of being more virulent than the original Omicron.
Although more information is needed about the variant, health officials have warned people to be aware of it and keep an eye out for symptoms. It has only been two weeks since the World Health Organization (WHO) started tracking the EG.5.1 variant. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that people are protected from the COVID variant by vaccines and prior infections, but people still need to follow COVID-appropriate behavior to limit transmission.