Eris, a new COVID variant, has managed to become a hot topic in the UK, with a nationwide increase in cases and hospital admissions. This variant is also around the world “Is COVID-19 returning?” causes the question to be asked.
Eris, or EG.5.1, which was first classified as a variant last month, is a sub-variant of Omicron and has since been added to the World Health Organization’s list of variants being watched. As of 20 July, it accounts for 14.55 percent of all cases in the UK, with a weekly increase of 20.51 percent, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data.
In the US, Eris is responsible for 17.3 percent of all COVID-19 cases between July 23 and August 5 and is currently the most common variant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That said, it’s not unusual for new variants to appear. There is currently no evidence to suggest that this species is any more dangerous than its predecessors.
Yet this came as cases rose in the UK in the last week of July, when hospital admissions rose to 1.97 per 100,000.