The government of India has stated that the latest subtype of Omicron, EG.5, has been present in the country since May 2023, and it was initially detected in Maharashtra in May. This is due to the virus’s recent increase in cases worldwide.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus strain has not caused any concern in India, although the World Health Organisation has classified it as a “variant of interest” and it is not considered more hazardous to public health than other strains.
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Dr NK Arora, the Head of the government’s Covid Advisory Task Group, stated to India Today that there has been no increase in cases or hospitalizations since its arrival over three months ago.
He stated that the ability of genomic surveillance is to detect any new variants emerging in our ecosystem quickly.
Covid ERIS, a variant of Omicron that is more transmissible than its predecessor, is of interest, as stated by Dr Akshay Budhraja, Senior Consultant, Aakash Healthcare, in an interview with India Today.
“Impacting on immunity against Covid can result in infection for a significant number of individuals. If the numbers increase, there will be increased mortality and morbidity,” he added.
The doctor advised taking Covid-appropriate actions and testing when experiencing flu-like symptoms as the best precautions.
The key is to ensure the pursuit of evidence.
India Today reported that Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association Covid Task Force, stated that the coronavirus will continue to circulate in waves.
“Covid, a cyclical disease, will continue to emerge in waves as immunity decreases and precautions become less effective.” Two spike mutations, F456L and Q52H, are present in EG.5.1 and are considered essential for the variant’s immune evasive properties.
“Wastewater surveillance is a useful tool to detect early waves, particularly in the absence of widespread testing. In India, the number of Covid cases is relatively low at this time, and this period can be described as in between waves,” Jayadevan noted. However, he also mentioned that influenza and other viral illnesses are causing problems in their communities.
Despite the low rates of testing, cases of covid have been reported. As Covid is still considered a cyclical disease, we must continue to monitor for variants that differ significantly from omicron and could cause more severe complications.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India reported that on August 11 there were 47 new Covid-19 cases.
The variance in EG.5 is variable.
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The first report of SARS-CoV-2 on February 17 this year included the Eris or EG.5 variant, which was designated as a VUM under monitoring (VUM) on July 19.
The variables can be classified into three broad groups: (1) “variants of interest,” (2) “observable variables,” and (3) “highly significant variables.”
The subvariant XBB.1.9.2 has a descendant in EG.5, which contains an additional mutation in the spike protein that SARS-CoV-2 employs to invade and infect human cells.
According to the WHO, the EG.5 lineage has an extra spike mutation in its subvariant EDGE5.1, which accounts for 88% of the available sequences for EE.05.