This research, led by Kei Sato, a virologist at the University of Tokyo, has not yet been peer reviewed. ![]() The majority of EG.5 variants sequenced so far also carry a second mutation in their spike protein these have been named EG.5.1.Ī preliminary study from Japan shows that EG.5 is about 20 percent more contagious than even XBB.1.5. When the spike binds to the ACE2 protein receptors on human cells the virus is able to enter the human nasal passage and lungs. XBB viruses are the fastest-spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants with the power to overcome immunity gained from vaccination or breakthrough infections of prior Omicron subvariants.ĮG.5 differs from its XBB parent by a single change within its spike protein, which protrudes from the surface of the virus. “We need to minimize the spread of the virus as much as we can." A more contagious variantĮG.5 is an offshoot of the XBB branch of the Omicron variant, which first arrived in the Fall of 2022. Using testing kits, when symptoms suggest it could be COVID-19, and masking up and staying home if COVID positive, can slow the spread of the new variant, says Rajnarayanan. "We should take all of these subvariants very seriously," says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatoon, Canada. EG.5 has also been spotted in at least 51 other countries including in those with high vaccination rates: Canada, Japan, South Korea, and China. The number of new COVID cases between July 10 to August 6-nearly 1.5 million-is 80 percent higher compared to the previous 28 days. ![]() The number of hospitalizations has risen by 12.5 percent in the past week to roughly 9,000 cases.ĮG.5 is also causing upticks in COVID-19 cases worldwide. This variant is now causing more than 17 percent of all reported COVID-19 cases in the country. ![]() In the United States, EG.5 is now the most prevalent strain of SARS-CoV-2 and has replaced other XBB variants (XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, XBB.1.9), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ![]() "Based on the experience that we have from the previous waves, we can project EG.5 is definitely a big deal," says Rajendram Rajnarayanan, a computational biologist at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. That alarmed the WHO and led them to elevate EG.5 to a "variant of interest" on August 9, alongside other highly contagious Omicron variants such as XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16. Infections began surging in mid-June-when a record-breaking number of summer travelers took to the skies and unprecedented high temperatures around the Northern Hemisphere forced people to gather indoors, enabling the virus to spread easily. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.A highly infectious, new COVID variant is spreading fast, barely three months after the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency.ĮG.5, a descendant of a previous XBB strain of Omicron, was first spotted in Indonesia on February 17 and has been spreading steadily since. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.
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