Health Care
The new coronavirus strain, while fast-spreading, does not appear to cause significant illness.
Since June, health officials and drug manufacturers have worked toward developing shots that should address the EG.5 subvariant of the Omicron family. | Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images
By Andrew Zhang
Updated:
Link Copied
A fast-spreading new subvariant of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 — nicknamed “Eris” by health watchers but formally known as EG.5 — recently became the most prevalent strain in the country, according to recent official estimates, though it does not appear to cause significant illness or pose immediate danger.
According to a CDC estimate from Saturday, the EG.5 variant makes up approximately 17 percent of all Covid cases in the U.S., making it the most dominant strain of the disease. That number is an increase from the roughly 12 percent share of EG.5-variant cases among all strains in a July 22 calculation. The variant has also been reported in several countries.
The dangers from Covid have sharply declined with vaccinations, but new variants have continued to arise. The EG.5 variant exists under the Omicron family of strains that began circulating in late 2021 and has since birthed several mutations.
Medical experts have said that EG.5 does not seem to cause more severe illness than previous strains of the coronavirus, and no figures from the White House or Capitol Hill have issued strong statements on the matter.
“At this time, there is no evidence indicating EG.5 is able to spread more easily, and currently available treatments and vaccines are expected to continue to be effective against this variant,” a CDC spokesperson told POLITICO.
The World Health Organization has begun tracking EG.5, but has not labeled it as a variant of interest or concern. In comparison, the XBB.1.5 strain, which previously dominated transmission in the U.S., is listed as a variant of interest.
Globally, hospitalizations from Covid have generally declined since the beginning of the year.
Although hospitalizations from the coronavirus have risen slightly over the summer in the U.S., the Biden administration has continued to express optimism about beating the pandemic. It has ended the public health emergency, and the White House Covid czar left earlier this summer.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic progress on our nation’s ability to manage COVID-19 so that it no longer meaningfully disrupts the way we live our lives,” White House spokesperson Kelly Scully previously told POLITICO by email.
The symptoms from the EG.5 variant are no different from previous variants: typical cold ailments such as sore throat, runny nose, congestion, cough and fever.
Since June, health officials and drug manufacturers have worked toward the development of shots that should also address the EG.5 subvariant, given that it exists in the Omicron family.
The public should be able to start receiving the shots starting in the fall.
“Vaccination continues to be the best way to protect against severe outcomes of Covid-19,” the CDC spokesperson said.
Link Copied
© 2023 POLITICO LLC