The “EG” in EG.5.1 doesn’t mean “for example.” But the EG.5.1 variant of the Covid-19 coronavirus that’s now spreading is yet another example of how the virus will continue to mutate, regardless of how many people try to ignore the fact that the virus remains a threat. And, Va Va VUM, on July 19, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) added EG.5# as yet another severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant on its variant under monitoring (VUM) list. In this case, the “#” doesn’t represent some kind of social media hashtag. Instead, it means that this particular WHO VUM currently serves as an umbrella for any variant that begins with EG.5 such as EG.5 and EG.5.1. But the EG.5# is one umbrella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh, that you probably don’t want to stand under because it can still give your Covid-19 and potentially long Covid.
Now, it can be challenging to remember names that sound like footnotes, Star Wars droids, or Elon Musk’s kids. So over the past year, people on social media have been assigning their own, unofficial names to these Omicron variants and subvariants such as Arcturus and Kraken. Some of these names seem to have fit the variants to a T. This time T. Ryan Gregory, PhD, a Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, has used the name “Eris” to describe the EG.5.1 variant on Twitter (or X or X-stasy or XXX or whatever Twitter is supposed to be called these days):
Consider the EG.5# to be some kind of love child of previous variants. It has genetic features of both the XBB.1.9.2 and the S:F456L variants.
Again, Eris is by no means an official name. Gregory provided a Wikipedia link that described Eris as the “most massive and second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System.” The description “most massive dwarf” sounds a bit like saying “look at my biggest smallest muscle.” The Wikipedia entry also indicated that the dwarf planet was named in September 2006 after Eris, the Greco–Roman goddess of strife and discord. Yeah, naming a SARS-CoV-2 variant after “strife and discord” seems interestingly appropriate given the heavy politicization of Covid-19 and the pandemic that has occurred over the past three years.
Gregory’s tweet thread—X’d out thread—went on to say that “There’s nothing particularly special about EG.5.1 [XBB.1.9.2.5.1] as far as we can tell”:
That could seemingly hurt the EG.5.1 variant’s feelings—if viruses had feelings—and prompt others to say, “Everyone’s special.” But what Gregory probably meant is that EG.5.1 doesn’t seem to be producing different, more or more severe Covid-19 symptoms.
It does appear to be somehow more transmissible than previous variants given the fact that it has been spreading. The U.K. Health Security Agency estimated that as of July 20, the EG.5.1 variant comprised and estimated 14.55% of all Covid-19 cases and has been growing at a 20.51% rate per week in the U.K. In the U.S., the EG.5 variants have gone from an estimated 11.9% of all Covid-19 cases during the two-week period ending July 22 up to 17.3% during the two-week period ending August 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Covid-19 Data Tracker. It’s now the most prevalent variant in the U.S., having surpassed the XBB.1.16.
At the same time, various Covid-19 measures across the U.S. have been trending upwards. The CDC Covid-19 Data Tracker indicated that Covid-19 hospitalizations were up 12.1% in the week ending July 22. And the presence of the virus in wastewater samples around the country has increased as well.
Of course, our country is kind of flying blind when it comes to Covid-19. The number of reported Covid-19 cases has become less and less relevant since so many people have been testing at home now with the not-nearly-as-accurate-as-PCR-antigen-tests or not testing at all. Most of those testing positive home probably aren’t telling anyone beyond their immediate circle that they have Covid-19. Expecting people to notify the authorities or even other people when they test positive can be kind of like expecting people to be totally honest on Tinder.
The big questions are what will the impact of the so-called Eris variant be, what will political leaders do about it, and what should you do about it. The answer to the second question may simply be “not a whole lot unless forced to do something about it.” The answer to the first question is probably some kind of late Summer Covid-19 upswing or perhaps even surge. Expect to hear of more Covid-19 cases around you. The risks of hospitalization and death are significantly less compared to previous years. But they aren’t down to flu levels just yet. Plus, the SARS-CoV-2 brings something that influenza viruses don’t really bring: the risk of long Covid.
The answer to the third and last question is keep taking appropriate Covid-19 precautions. Assume that those around you have not been taking appropriate precautions unless you have been monitoring them continuously with a hidden camera, which would be kind of creepy. As has been said, the Covid-19 pandemic showed that people have roughly 2,718 different definitions of the word “careful.” Stay up to date on vaccinations. Keep washing your hands frequently and thoroughly. Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces such as door knobs, counter tops and that bust of Jason Momoa that you keep in your bedroom. When in public try to stay in as well-ventilated places as possible. This doesn’t mean keep your pants’ fly open. Rather it means be conscious of how well the air is circulating and how fresh the air is in different locations. Consider wearing good quality and good fitting face masks like N95 respirators when indoors in public locations that are not well-ventilated and where you may come into close contact with other who could be carrying the virus.
So, the emergence and spread of Eris doesn’t mean that you should start to panic and mutter the words “strife and discord, strife and discord.” As I’ve indicated before, panic is never helpful unless you are at the disco or wearing plaid with stripes and a floral pattern. EG.5.1, though, is an example of how the virus is continuing to mutate and remains a concern. It is a good idea for everyone to stay apprised of what variants emerge and what they are doing.
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