07 August 2023 , 00:32
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A new coronavirus variant has hit UK shores with numbers rising up and down the country.
Given the name Eris by experts, the variant of the widespread Omicron strain has seen a huge surge in cases, with one in seven infected now believed to have caught it. On July 1, 3.3 people out of everyone 100,000 had Covid – but that has now jumped significantly, with 7.2 having it as of July 29. And it is thought that the new strain is to blame.
Eris hit our shores in early May, with the World Health Organisation adding it to its watch list under the identification of EG.5.1 soon after. It is not currently listed as a variant of concern, with Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency stating: “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.”
10 symptoms of Eris strain
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Blocked nose
- Sneezing
- Dry cough
- Headache
- Wet cough
- Hoarse voice
- Muscle aches
- Altered smell
According to the Zoe Health Study, the main symptoms are similar to the heavily publicised Omicron ones. These are a sore throat, a runny nose, a blocked nose, sneezing, a cough without phlegm, a headache, a cough with phlegm, a hoarse voice, muscle aches and pains and an altered sense of smell. However, shortness of breath, a loss of smell and a fever are no longer the main symptoms.
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Speaking to the MailOnline, Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University said that the rise in cases could be down ot the recent horrific weather, and a rise in people going to the cinema . . . presumably to see Barbie or Oppenheimer. He warned: “Overall levels of infection remain low but this is a wake up call stressing that we can’t be complacent when it comes to Covid. We need to keep an eye on the emergence of variants and be vigilant as we prepare for an inevitable increase in infections over the autumn/winter.”