Mint Explainer: Coronavirus EG.5 variant and how prepared is India
coronavirus infections have been reported in the US, Europe and Asia, with cases attributed to the EG.5, "Eris" subvariant, a descendant of the Omicron lineage. While India has reported only one case of this variant so far, authorities are concerned and have swung into action. Indian scientists have stepped up genome sequencing.
Mint takes a look at the situation and India's preparedness. EG.5, Eris subvariant, has been designated as a ‘variant of interest’. There has been a steady increase in this variant’s prevalence and it may pose a risk to public health preparedness and cause a surge in cases.
As of August, over 7,000 sequences have been shared from 51 countries. WHO has warned that covid is far from gone as the virus continues to evolve. Therefore, countries need better surveillance to track known and detect new variants.
WHO is analyzing each variant with the help of available tools to prevent the spread of infection and deaths. India has been constantly monitoring the covid situation and international trends. As of now, the country has reported only one case of Eris variant in Pune, Maharashtra.
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) is collating genome sequencing data from different laboratories and is in the process of isolation of the virus. Given the detection of newer variants of covid-19, PK Mishra, principal secretary to prime minister Narendra Modi, chaired a high-level meeting to review the global and national covid-19 situation. The government has directed scientists to gear up for preparedness with states/UTs have been advised to monitor trends of ILI/SARI cases.
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