“My strong suspicion is that, given the genetic similarities, there will still be a good degree of protection from the booster. “The two strains, EG.5 and XBB.1.5, are not identical, but they're pretty close,” Dr. But the CDC says the updated vaccines should work against currently circulating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus-many of which are descended from or related to the XBB strain. The updated vaccines aren’t an exact match for EG.5-Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax have all developed versions aimed at Omicron offshoot XBB.1.5, a close relative. (The CDC has not yet updated its variant classification page.) Is EG.5 contributing to an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations? The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified EG.5 as a “variant of interest,” which means countries should monitor it more closely than other strains because of mutations that could make it more contagious or severe. “Similar to all variants that have arisen, there is some extra degree of immune evasiveness because of a slight difference in genotype,” says Dr. However, EG.5 does have one new mutation in its spike protein (the part that facilitates virus entry into the host cell) that can potentially evade some of the immunity acquired after an infection or vaccination. (It may be worth noting that, except in rare cases, the original version of Omicron is no longer circulating-neither is the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the early, more severe Alpha and Delta variants.) EG.5, first identified in February, is a descendent of the Omicron variant, which first appeared in November 2021 and has had many subvariants. It’s not much different from other recent strains, explains Dr. How prevalent is EG.5, the latest coronavirus subvariant? Roberts answered questions about the summer uptick in COVID cases and shared what we need to know about EG.5. But early reports have shown EG.5 has been spreading faster than any other currently circulating strain.ĭr. “I am not aware of data that suggests EG.5 leads to worse cases of COVID-19 compared to prior variants,” says Scott Roberts, MD, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist. So far, EG.5 isn’t setting off any alarms as far as disease severity, although early reports show it may be more transmissible-it has surpassed XBB.1.16 (or Arcturus), another highly contagious Omicron subvariant that was in the news just a few months ago. A descendant of Omicron, Eris is already the dominant coronavirus subvariant in the country, infecting more people than any other single strain. This summer, that strain is called EG.5, or, informally, Eris (nicknamed after the Greek goddess of strife and discord). Viruses mutate, so it was only a matter of time before yet another new SARS-CoV-2 strain (the virus that causes COVID-19) emerged and started to spread. Because information about COVID-19 changes rapidly, we encourage you to visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your state and local government for the latest information. Note: Information in this article was accurate at the time of original publication.
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