Rapid Spread of Eris (EG.5) and BA 2.86 Variants Raises Alarm Amid Evolving Covid-19 Landscape !
As the whole world works together to lessen the impact of the pandemic, the Covid-19 virus is still around and changing over time. It's like the virus is shaping its character as it keeps evolving. Recently, there are two new versions of the Covid virus that have come up: Eris (or EG.5) and BA 2.86, (nicknamed after the Greek goddess of strife and discord). A descendant of Omicron, these new versions have led to more people getting sick in different countries, including important ones like the UK and China.
Something interesting is happening amidst all these changes. The sickness caused by Covid-19 seems to be getting milder gradually, which means people are not getting as sick as before. This change seems to be connected to the new virus variants. But at the same time, there's something worrying happening with a part of the virus called the spike protein. This part has changed, making it harder for our bodies to fight off the virus, even if we got sick from it before or got vaccinated. Also, because of these changes, the virus is spreading more easily from person to person, which makes us more worried about how fast it's spreading.
Now, let's talk about these two new virus versions. EG.5 is getting a lot of attention because it's different in special ways. People are keeping an eye on it to see what it does. On the other hand, BA 2.86 is being carefully monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO). What makes BA 2.86 special is that it has changed a lot in its genes, not just a little. Because of these changes, it's able to spread more and it's causing new symptoms that we haven't seen before with Covid-19. As of now, EG.5 isn't causing major worries about how severe the illness might be. But it seems like it could spread more easily, as it has become more widespread than XBB.1.16 (or Arcturus), which was another very contagious form of the Omicron variant talked about a few months ago.
In this complicated situation where science and the virus are always changing, it's clear that we need to keep a close watch, learn as much as we can, and come up with new ideas to fight the changes in the virus. The work to understand these changes, predict what the virus might do, and create ways to fight it shows how humans can adapt and stay strong even when facing a virus that keeps changing.