Subscribe now! Get as
While the risk of Covid worldwide is decreasing, new variants continue to emerge, the severity of the disease remains low. The new Covid EG. 5 strain, better known as Eris, has been known in many countries, including China, the United States. , Japan, South Korea, Canada, but also Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain. Although experts say there is no need to panic, the new strain of Omicron is no more serious than existing strains and poses no significant risk. However, the WHO has designated EG. 5 as a variant of interest, meaning it will be monitored for mutations. Eris spreads quickly, possesses immune-evading properties, but symptoms remain largely mild and similar to those of the past. Experts say EG. 5 could become a dominant strain in some countries in the coming weeks. (Also read: New Covid variant EG. 5: Transmissibility symptoms; 7 things you should know about the Omicron Eris subvariant)
“The World Health Organization (WHO) has learned of a new EG. 5 variant of COVID-19, known as the Eris strain. This strain is widespread in the United States and the United Kingdom, and its immediate spread is causing a buildup. “The symptoms of Eris are less severe than those of the Omicron subvariant,” says Dr. Rajesh Kumar, principal consultant. – Internal Medicine, Paras. Health, Gurugram.
Dr. Kumar says that while those symptoms are due to past strains, they are less severe and don’t pose a major threat to people.
“While there are no symptoms unique to this strain, some common symptoms of the Eris variant include fever, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, muscle pain, cramps, body aches, nausea and shortness of breath. breath. Today, India has not noticed a significant increase or a really extensive effect on the number of cases. Only one case of this strain was reported in Pune, Maharashtra, in May 2023. Since then, WHO has been closely monitoring the situation. ” If any of the symptoms mentioned above appear, it is imperative that they undergo Covid monitoring without delay to get timely treatment,” says Dr. Kumar.
Dr. Manisha Arora, Senior Consultant and Head of Internal Medicine Unit at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute in Delhi, presents the list of symptoms of Eris that other people are aware of:
“Eris, in particular XBB. 1. 9. 2, is a subvariant of the Omicron variant. Eris presents many of the same symptoms as other variants of COVID-19, adding fever, cough, shortness of breath, exhaustion, muscle aches, headaches, and sore throats. Some patients with Eris may also have loss of taste or smell,” says Dr. Arora.
1. Fever: Fever is a common symptom and is one of the first signs. It is characterized by a body temperature above 100. 4 °F (38 °C).
2. Cough: A persistent dry cough is not an unusual symptom. This may be continuous or occur intermittently.
3. Shortness of breath: Some other people may experience shortness of breath or shortness of breath, especially during physical activity or exertion.
4. Fatigue: A feeling of fatigue or lack of potency is not an uncommon symptom. This can persist even with a good rest.
5. Muscle or body pain: Muscle and body pain, also known as myalgia, is not an unusual symptom. This can range from mild to severe discomfort.
6. Sore throat: Possibly a sore throat would occur, causing pain, inflammation or itching in the throat.
7. Nasal congestion or runny nose: Although less common, some other people may experience nasal congestion or runny nose, even a mild cold.
Dr. Devashish Desai, an infectious disease specialist at the Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune, says the symptoms of the Eris variant, which is descended from the XBB lineage, are the same as all previous variants of COVID-19.
“Most symptomatic patients will have fever with upper respiratory tract symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat and cough. Some may have headaches, discomfort, and body aches. Loss of smell is common. Less than 5 to 10% may have diarrhea and abdominal pain. In the event that the patient develops severe illness, they may have shortness of breath, but this may appear some time after the patient has hypoxia,” says Dr. Desai. Add a few more symptoms to the list:
8. Headache: Headaches are a common symptom of many infections, including COVID-19. They are caused through inflammation of the lining of the brain and nerves.
9. Malaise: Discomfort is a general feeling of discomfort. This can be described as feeling tired or exhausted.
10. Loss of smell: Loss of smell is a common symptom of COVID-19. It is caused by damage to the cells of the nose responsible for detecting odors.
11. Diarrhea: They are soft and watery stools. It is through inflammation of the intestinal mucosa.
12. Abdominal pain: Abdominal pain is pain in the stomach. This can be due to a variety of things, such as inflammation of the intestines, muscle pain, or gas.