What is the EG.5 variant of COVID-19? How to protect? The National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention answered the changes. 4、 EG.5 | Indonesia | Variation
1、 What is the EG.5 variant of COVID-19?
The EG.5 variant is a subfamily of the COVID-19 Omikjon XBB. 1.9.2, which was first found in Indonesia on February 17, 2023. On July 19th, the World Health Organization listed it as a "variant under monitoring", and on August 9th, it was adjusted to "focus on variants" to strengthen global assessment of the characteristics and public health risks of the EG.5 variant. At present, there are three COVID-19 strains listed as VOI in the world. In addition to the EG.5 variant, there are XBB.1.5 variant and XBB.1.16 variant. All three strains belong to the XBB variant series.
2、 What are the changes in the biological characteristics of the EG.5 variant?
The proportion of EG.5 variant strains in global epidemic strains is increasing rapidly, demonstrating a stronger transmission advantage. Domestic and foreign studies have shown that the epidemic advantage of the EG.5 variant is mainly due to its enhanced immune escape ability, and the neutralizing ability of neutralizing antibodies produced by previous infections to the EG.5 variant is reduced.
According to monitoring data in our country, there is no significant difference in clinical typing between individuals infected with the EG.5 variant and those infected with other sub branches of XBB. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of hospitalized cases in some countries where the EG.5 variant has become prevalent, but there have been no reports of increased disease severity due to infection with the EG.5 variant. On August 9th, the World Health Organization assessed that the EG.5 variant showed enhanced transmission and immune escape capabilities, but no evidence of significant changes in its pathogenicity was found, nor did it cause a significant increase in global public health risks. Based on existing evidence, the global risk level of the EG.5 variant has been assessed as low risk.
3、 What is the global prevalence of the EG.5 variant?
Since May, the proportion of EG.5 variant strains in the global epidemic has rapidly increased. As of August 17th, the EG.5 variant has been detected and monitored in at least 52 countries or regions worldwide. From the perspective of epidemic situation in various continents, except for the relatively small number of uploaded sequences in Africa, the proportion of EG.5 variant strains is showing a significant upward trend in Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America.
4、 What is the prevalence of the EG.5 variant in China?
The monitoring results in China show that the proportion of EG.5 variant strains in the epidemic strains of COVID-19 is on the rise, from 0.6% in April to 71.6% in August. At present, it has formed a dominant epidemic in most provinces in China, and it is likely to continue this trend in the future. China experienced the outbreak of Omicron XBB series variants from April to June this year, and the established population immunity still has an immunoprotective effect against the EG.5 variant, which belongs to the same sub branch of Omicron XBB. Recently, the COVID-19 epidemic in China has generally been at a low level and in a wave like fashion. The epidemic has brought less pressure on medical systems around the country, and large-scale outbreaks will not occur in the short term.
5、 How can the public take good personal protection measures?
As with the prevention of other COVID-19 Omikron variants, the public should continue to maintain good personal hygiene habits, adhere to regular work and rest, keep the room clean, often open windows and ventilate, exercise scientifically, ensure healthy diet, and improve the immunity of the body. It is recommended that the public, especially the elderly and patients with severe underlying diseases, take personal protective measures and wear masks scientifically when taking public transportation or going to crowded indoor public places.