COVID-19 cases are increasing in countries such as the United Kingdom, United States and Japan. The recent COVID sub-variant called 'Eris' is reportedly spreading in the UK. However, medical experts BOOM spoke to stressed that it is unlikely to cause a large wave in India.
What is Eris & how is it affecting UK?
Eris is the unofficial nickname given to the most recent version of omicron, it belongs to the recently seen recombinant XBB sub lineage. It’s official name is EG.5.1. Eris is now responsible for one in seven cases in the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). They found that 5.4% of 4,396 respiratory specimens reported through the Respiratory DataMart System were identified as COVID-19 -- up from 3.7% of 4,403 from the previous report.
"The WHO had declared EG.5 as a variant under monitoring," Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, physician and co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association COVID task force told BOOM. "There is no indication yet that the clinical characteristics are different from what we already experienced with the recent wave in India from other XBB sub-lineages of Omicron earlier this year. At this time, hospitalisation is rising in Japan but not yet in the UK. This variant has been found in Japan, UK and elsewhere, and hence the concern," he said.
While the overall COVID-19 hospital admission rate for week 30 has increased from 1.17 per 1 lakh population to 1.97, there's a decrease in ICU admission rates (0.05 compared to 0.07 in the previous report), as per the UKHSA.
According to Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UKHSA, "We continue to see a rise in COVID-19 cases in this week’s report. We have also seen a small rise in hospital admission rates in most age groups, particularly among the elderly. Overall levels of admission still remain extremely low and we are not currently seeing a similar increase in ICU admissions. We will continue to monitor these rates closely."
How prepared should India be?
Dr Jayadevan says that the mutational profile of this variant is not markedly different from what we already experienced. "It is unlikely to cause a large wave in India, particularly given widespread immunity levels within the community from repeated bouts of Covid and prior vaccination. At this time India is in between waves. The cases will eventually rise as the levels of recently acquired neutralising antibodies gradually drops in the community," explained Dr Jayadevan.
As COVID testing has declined, ongoing waste water monitoring can help detect surges early, he added.
Similarly, Dr Ishwar Gilada, an infectious disease expert and President Emeritus of AIDS Society of India, said, "This is not a new variant. It is a sub-variant of Omicron. Omicron is a variant of support rather than a variant of concern. Now we have natural immunity against COVID because most of us have been infected at least once and have received at least two vaccinations."
However, both doctors highlighted that people must remain vigilant. "We must remain vigilant for a variant with properties that are markedly different from omicron, which fortunately has not been identified at this time.
As far as precautions are concerned, there is plenty of respiratory illness circulating which is largely non-Covid in India. At this time, influenza is the leader in this group, occasionally causing severe, even fatal outcomes. It is always better to wear a mask in crowded ill-ventilated indoor settings, said Dr Jayadevan.
"Exercising discretion and refraining from denial are both important," he concluded.