A new variant of Covid-19, EG.5, has entered the World Health Organization (WHO) list of “variants of interest” this month. Given this, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) recommended that the entire population complete the vaccination scheme against this virus, especially with the bivalent vaccine. The EG.5 variant or also known colloquially as Eris is currently in 51 countries.
The Minsa indicated to El Comercio that Eris has not yet been officially detected in Peru. However, “it is a matter of time before it arrives,” said Roger Araujo, an infectologist at the National Institute of Health (INS) of the Minsa. “We carry out genomic surveillance (…) and until last week, which was the last run, we have not found EG.5 here. However, it is in many surrounding countries,” he added.
EG.5 is already considered a variant by the WHO, however it is a descendant of Omicron. The same world organization assured that there is no evidence that Eris produces a more severe disease compared to other variants or subvariants. In a study categorized as “initial risk assessment” As of August 9 of this year, the WHO indicates that the overall risk of evaluation is low. However, he explains that given its genetic characteristics, EG.5 can spread globally and contribute to an increase in cases.
The countries that currently have more presence of this new variant are: China, United States, Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain.
In this line, the dean of the Medical College of Peru (CMP), Raúl Urquizo, indicated that due to the presence of this variant in several countries, it will not take long to arrive in Peru. In addition, he said that Eris “is one more subvariant of Ómicron, like a new son of Ómicron. The information we have is that it spreads quickly, but it is less aggressive, especially for those who have received the bivalent vaccine. It is giving mild to moderate diseases, serious there is no information ”.
For his part, Manuel Espinoza, an infectious disease doctor at the Daniel Alcides Carrión Institute of Tropical Medicine at UNMSM, said that although EG.5 has not been officially registered in Peru, “we should assume that it is there because we are in a globalized world. The samples [de Covid-19] They go through a genotyping test, but not because we can’t find it there right now is that it’s not there, surely it is,” he said.
Regarding the symptoms of EG.5, these can be confused with a respiratory infection such as a common cold, Manuel Espinoza said. He explained that there may be a sore throat, low fever, or runny nose. Regarding this, the INS representative added that since this new variant is a descendant of Omicron, the symptoms are similar: sore throat, cough, runny nose, clogged ears, etc. “It’s a problem because it’s no different from the flu or the common cold,” he said.
Protection with bivalent vaccine recommended
Faced with this situation, the Minsa recommended that the population conclude the vaccination scheme against Covid-19, especially with the reinforcement of the bivalent vaccine since this includes the Ómicron lineages, such as EG.5. The dean of the CMP argued that the Minsa must act immediately to promote vaccination with the bivalent, because despite the efforts, the number of people with this vaccine is still low. According to the Reunis del Minsa portal, only 16% of the population over 18 years of age has this: 1,583,136 people.
The infectious disease doctor Roger Araujo argued that the main control measure against Covid-19 is vaccination. He explained that “the vaccines were initially designed with the original virus, the one from the beginning of 2020, but the virus has been changing. EG.5 has many differences from the previous virus. For this reason, last year Pfizer and Moderna updated their vaccines to ones designed for Omicron. This is how the bivalent vaccine was born, which includes the original virus and Ómicron”.
In that sense, he indicated that people who already have the vaccines and need a booster this year should be inoculated with the bivalent. He added that it’s even more important for older adults and immunocompromised people.
The Minsa is vaccinating at various points in Lima and Callao against Covid-19. Some of them are Campo de Marte, Jesús María; Videna, San Luis; IPD Bayóvar and Huiracocha Zonal Park, San Juan de Lurigancho; La Rambla Brazil Shopping Center, Brena; Park of Legends, San Miguel and more. To know other vaccination centers and hours you can click here.
2023-08-16 18:57:21
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