Washington DC - The United States is witnessing a surge in the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant EG.5. This variant is responsible for approximately 17 percent of the recent Covid-19 cases in the country, slightly higher than the next most prevalent lineage, XBB.1.16, which accounts for 16 percent. This information comes from the latest assessments conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as reported by CNN.
The EG.5 variant is an offshoot of the XBB recombinant strain belonging to the Omicron family. When compared to its parent XBB.1.9.2, EG.5 bears an additional mutation in its spike protein at position 465. Although this mutation has been observed in previous coronavirus variants, scientists have yet to determine its impact on the virus's behavior.
The 465 mutation is found in roughly 35 percent of reported coronavirus sequences worldwide. This includes another variant, FL.1.5.1, which is on the rise in the Northeast. This suggests that the mutation may confer an evolutionary advantage compared to previous iterations of the virus.
Notably, EG.5 has given rise to its own variant, EG.5.1, which introduces a second mutation to the spike protein. This new variant is also spreading rapidly.
Dr. David Ho, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University, has been conducting tests on these variants in his laboratory to assess their resistance to antibodies. He commented, "Both variants show only a slight increase in resistance to neutralizing antibodies present in the serum of infected and vaccinated individuals."
From a clinical perspective, these variants do not appear to cause distinct or more severe symptoms compared to their predecessors.
Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist at the Scripps Translational Research Institute, explained that EG.5 has "some more immune escape compared to the previous XBB series," suggesting that its growing prevalence is due to its advantage in evading immunity.
The EG.5 variant is also spreading rapidly in countries like Ireland, France, the UK, Japan, and China. The World Health Organization recently elevated its status from a variant under monitoring to a variant of interest, indicating the need for further tracking and study.