COVID variant EG.5: What we know about Eris

After more than three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization ended the global public health emergency on May 5, 2023. The WHO classified EG.5 as a VOI due to rising infection rates attributed to the variant, the fact that it spreads fast and its ability of so-called "immune escape". In a Neherlab variant report posted at the end of June 2023, EG.5 was already described as the "fastest growing lineage with significant circulation" in the world. But Van Kerkhove says there is a concern that "we could potentially see new variants that could be more severe and that's something we have to keep an eye out for." COVID-19: The seasonal effect Despite conclusions drawn at the time of writing, the WHO sees a potential for EG.5 to "cause a rise in case incidence and become dominant in some countries or even globally" due to its "growth advantage and immune escape characteristics" — same as it was with other variants in the omicron lineage of the virus.