The first confirmed case of the new Covid-19 variant in South Africa was confirmed on Wednesday, forcing the health service to reinforce its call for people to get vaccinated.
Foster Mohale, a department official, confirmed to SurgeZirc SA that the first sample taken in Gauteng tested positive for the new strain known as EG.5 or Eris.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), EG.5 is a descendant lineage of XBB.1.9.2, which has the same spike amino acid composition as XBB.1.5.
“EG.5 was first reported on February 2023 and designated as a variant under monitoring in July,” the WHO said at the time.
“The largest portion of EG.5 sequences are from China, the US, Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the UK, France, Portugal and Spain. Globally, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of EG.5 reported in recent weeks.”
Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, stated that medical specialists are now tracking numerous variations, including EG.5.
“The risk remains of a more dangerous variant emerging that could cause a sudden increase in cases and deaths,” he said.
He also recommended countries to continue monitoring Covid-19 for significant changes in the virus, as well as trends in disease severity and population immunity.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Woman Pregnant With Twins Brutally Attacked And Killed Minutes Before Delivery
The primary symptoms of this increasing sub-variant are identical to those of preceding Omicrons. A painful throat is one such symptom; it can also cause inflammation of the membranes lining the nose and sinuses, which is an immunological response and can result in a runny nose and sneezing.
Some of the symptoms included coughing with or without phlegm, headache, hoarse voice, muscle aches, and an altered sense of smell.
