As the Northern hemisphere moves into autumn, COVID has once more entered the news with the arrival of a new sub-variant. Public health experts in the UK have warned that a new wave has begun and masks should be worn.
The spike in cases of the new Omicron sub-variant, EG.5 (known as Eris) has led to it having been declared a variant of interest by the WHO. There are also two other sub-variants of Omicron in circulation in the UK (and other countries), named Pirola and Phi, but it is Eris which is
According to UK publication The Independent, experts in the UK now warn the public that it is “reasonably certain” the UK is in another wave of COVID-19, and they suggest that people should wear face masks again.
“Hospital admissions for coronavirus have risen in recent weeks, just as the effectiveness of vaccines is wearing off, a new variant has emerged.”
In South Africa?
Last week South African authorities found the same strain locally, in a sample taken from a patient in Gauteng, according to the Saturday Star.
But South African health experts say there is no need for panic.
Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand, Shabir Madhi, is quoted in the Saturday Star saying that it was extremely unlikely that it would cause any surge of severe disease cases in South Africa and elsewhere simply because of the large number of people who have developed immunity – either from infections or from vaccinations.
But he added that those with underlying medical conditions and those above the age of sixty could be at risk with the new sub-variant. “If you haven't received a booster vaccine in the past twelve months, that will be highly recommended,” he said.
Meanwhile, Reuters has reported that updated COVID vaccines are expected to become available in the US in September.
