The transmission of the highly contagious Eris variant is mostly to blame for the increase in COVID-19 cases that have been reported in the United States this summer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of COVID-related deaths that have occurred in the United States has increased by 21%, while the number of hospital admissions that have been caused by the virus has increased by just under 22%.
The Rise of the Eris Variant in COVID-19 Cases
Eris, which is technically referred to as EG.5, is responsible for the highest percentage of COVID-19 infections in the country at the present time. It is yet another omicron subvariant and a descendant of the XBB sublineage, both of which are prevalent strains that have been circulating over the course of the previous year.
According to the CDC, the proportion of new COVID cases attributable to EG.5 rose to 20.6% over the two weeks that ended on August 18, representing an increase from the 7.5% it accounted for during the first week of July.
The second most prevalent variant is FL.1.5.1, which accounts for around 13% of the cases; XBB.1.16 accounts for slightly less than 11% of the instances.
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EG.5 Variant’s Alarming Surge in Infections
The symptoms of the Eris virus appear to be comparable to those caused by earlier strains of the virus, and the disease does not appear to be more severe. On the other hand, it maintains the same high level of contagiousness as prior omicron strains.
Even while the symptoms of Eris are the same as those of earlier strains, specialists in the field of medicine warn that it looks EG.5 can more easily circumvent antibodies that have built in patients as a result of their prior infections or immunizations.
Although there is not yet a vaccination that is specific to Eris, it is believed that the booster vaccine that is scheduled to be issued this autumn will provide some degree of protection against the subvariant.
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