COVID Eris, the variant dominating US, UK cases has familiar symptoms

The World Health Organization (WHO) has its eyes on yet another new COVID-19 variant that has been linked to a spike in hospitalizations overseas.

EG.5.1, nicknamed Eris, was added to the WHO SARS-CoV-2 variant monitoring list and has quickly become prevalent in both the U.K. and U.S.

As of July 20, Eris is the second most common variant infecting people in the U.K., accounting for roughly 14.55% of cases and growing at a rate of 20.51% per week, according to The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It trails behind fellow Omicron subvariant Arcturus, or XBB.1.16, at 41.82% of U.S. cases.

Eris is a nickname given to EG.5.1, a subvariant of Omicron (B.1.1.529).

It was added to the WHO watch list, along with EG.5 under the umbrella E.G5#, a notation that covers the EG.5 lineage.

T. Ryan Gregory, Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, began calling the variant Eris in posts on X, formerly Twitter.

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Eris has already surpassed Arcturus in the U.S., becoming the most prevalent variant in the two-week period ending on August 5, with 17.3% of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Both the U.S. and U.K. have endured an increase in COVID hospitalizations over the summer months, with the U.S. seeing a 12.1% increase in hospital admissions the week ending July 22, according to CDC tracking.

In England, there was a 40.7% increase in hospitalizations the week ending July 29 versus the seven days prior, according to the UKHSA.

According to Zoe Health Study, an organization that monitors and estimates COVID cases in the U.K., Eris has similar symptoms to Omicron. The most common include:

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If you believe you may have COVID or test positive, the CDC suggests several ways to treat the symptoms and stop the spread.