WHO says "we need to pay attention". COVID-19 mutant EG. 5 attracts attention from WHO | COVID-19 mutant EG. 5

Recently, the number of cases infected with COVID-19 variant strain EG. 5 has been on the rise in many parts of the world. On the 9th, the World Health Organization listed EG.5 as a "variant that needs attention.". However, experts and scholars generally believe that EG. 5 will not pose a serious threat to public health.

Mutant strains that need attention

Due to naming differences, EG. 5 appears to be a new strain of the virus. In fact, it is not the case. Like strains such as XBB.1.16, EG. 5 is also a member of the Omicron family.

This means that compared to other recently popular Omicron variants, the changes in EG. 5 are relatively limited, unlike the leap from Delta to Omicron. However, EG. 5 is also constantly evolving and currently has its own branch, EG. 5.1.

In terms of symptoms, the symptoms caused by infection with EG.5 are basically the same as those caused by infection with other COVID-19 virus strains, including cough, fever or chills, shortness of breath, fatigue, body pain, loss of taste and smell, etc.

Recently, the number of cases of EG.5 infection has been on the rise in many parts of Asia, America, and Europe. The UK Health and Safety Agency stated that EG. 5 entered the monitoring range of health institutions in early July, following the emergence of related cases in Asia.

According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, EG. 5 has become the most popular strain in the United States. About 17% of the new COVID-19 infected people are infected with EG.5. By contrast, approximately 16% of infected individuals are XBB.1.16. Considering that XBB.1.16 has been circulating for nearly half a year, the development trend of EG. 5 has attracted attention.

According to reports, virologist Stuart Tver from the University of New South Wales in Australia believes that compared to other Omicron variants, EG. 5 has a slight advantage in "cunning" and "competitiveness", and can "better handle" the antibodies produced by vaccines.

With EG. 5 becoming an epidemic strain in the United States, the data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that a number of COVID-19 indicators, including the hospitalization rate, emergency rate and infection rate, have rebounded.

However, it is currently uncertain whether EG. 5 is the direct cause of this trend. Other potential factors include: record high temperatures prompting people to turn on air conditioning indoors; Summer travel expands people's social circles; The resumption of offline teaching in schools... all contribute to the spread of the virus.

However, the dissemination trend of EG. 5 still attracts widespread attention. On the 9th, the World Health Organization upgraded EG. 5 from a "monitored variant" to a "strain that needs attention", indicating that the organization believes that EG. 5 is worth further tracking.

However, WHO also said that there is no evidence that EG. 5 poses a greater threat to public health than other recently prevalent COVID-19 virus strains, especially the Omicron variant.

The CDC also believes that the emergence of EG. 5 does not mean that there has been a major mutation of COVID-19. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, said that current vaccines and drugs are still effective against mutant strains, and the presence of these strains can be detected through testing.

There is also a viewpoint that the limited impact of EG.5 is related to the immune levels previously established by people through natural infections and vaccination.

COVID-19 has not disappeared

Over the past three years, the world has experienced multiple rounds of epidemic peaks caused by mutated strains such as Alpha, Delta, and Omicron. According to data from the World Health Organization, the cumulative reported confirmed cases worldwide exceed 760 million, with over 6.9 million deaths.

Fortunately, with the introduction of vaccines and the emergence of various treatments, the power of COVID-19 has been greatly weakened. In May this year, based on the assessment of the global epidemic situation, WHO announced that the COVID-19 epidemic would no longer constitute a "public health emergency of international concern", and lifted the highest level alarm issued on January 30, 2020. However, WHO Director General Tan Desai pointed out at that time: "This does not mean that the COVID-19 epidemic is no longer a global health threat".

At present, the emergence of EG. 5 highlights that COVID-19 has not disappeared, and even poses some challenges. According to the latest statistics of WHO, more than 1 million COVID-19 cases and more than 3100 deaths have been reported worldwide in the 28 days up to August 3. The number of reported cases is relatively high in South Korea, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

However, some scholars pointed out that, considering the fact that the influenza virus is also spreading, and that countries no longer carry out large-scale testing and report to WHO, it is not clear what kind of picture the current global spread of COVID-19 will constitute.

In terms of virus types, Omicron remains the most prevalent strain globally. Tan Desai said on the 9th that WHO is tracking a variety of COVID-19 variants. "The risk of a more dangerous variant still exists, which could lead to a surge in cases and deaths."

Professor Slinas Reddy from the Indian Public Health Foundation predicts that EG. 5 will dominate for a period of time before being replaced by another variant. "This is the essence of the virus."

Mary Ramsay, director of the public health program of the British Health and Safety Agency, predicted that COVID-19 might spread more widely in winter.

Health experts also point out that compared to young people and healthy populations, the elderly and immunocompromised populations face greater risks. Although there is no need to panic about the emergence of EG.5, vigilance should not be relaxed, otherwise it may give evolving viruses new opportunities to take advantage of.

The World Health Organization urges countries to maintain the previously established prevention and control system, including tracking and monitoring virus mutations and reporting to the organization, encouraging people to get vaccinated and maintain good hygiene habits, and improving medical services.

It is reported that Pfizer, Modena and Novavacs, the US vaccine R&D and production enterprises, plan to launch the new version of COVID-19 vaccine this fall. These vaccines have been developed for the previously prevalent Omicron subtype XBB and may also have some preventive effects against EG.5 infection.