Since a few weeks, Public health France observes an increase in passages for suspected Covid-19 infection. A rise in cases that has highlighted a new variant of Omicron (the EG.5.1 variant), dubbed Eriswhich appears to spread faster than previous variants.
In week 31 (from July 31 to August 6, 2023), a slight increase in appeals SOS Médecins associations and hospital emergenciesfor suspicion of COVID-19 has been observed but they remain at low levels. “The incidence of Covid-19 in France shows an increase of 24.6% compared to week 30, rising from 6.2 to 7.7 / 100,000 inhabitants. VSThe incidence rate increases in all age groups, but is most marked in 40-49 year olds (+ 38.8% compared to week 30)“underlines Public Health France.
The 5 regions most affected by the Eris variant
Most of the positive cases reported between July 31 and August 6 come from 5 regions:
- New Aquitaine (789 new cases)
- Occitania (730 new cases)
- Ile-de-France (689 new cases)
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (638 new cases)
- Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (541 new cases)
“The increase at the national level is mainly driven by the New Aquitaine region, in particular the departments of Landes and Pyrénées Atlantiques, due to large festive gatherings, such as the Bayonne Festival, which have encouraged population mixing and spread of the virus” insists SPF. These are also regions very popular with holidaymakers, which suggests future movements of the virus at the start of the school year.
What are the symptoms of the new Eris variant
The EG.5 variant is a descendant of omicron, which remains the most common coronavirus strain in the world. If it seems to be transmitted quite easily it is not more virulent for all that and for the moment, there is no indication that it would cause a severe form of the disease.
Symptoms of this new variant are broadly the same as for other Omicron strains. They understand :
- a dry cough
- headaches
- a runny nose
- sneezing
- sore throat
- fatigue.
These symptoms are often mild. “It’s probably because there’s so much immunity in the population that the infections are going to seem a little less severe.” explains Prof. Andrew Pekosz, Vice-Chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins University.
The people most at risk, who may have to consider wearing a mask again in transport and public places, are the elderly as well as those with comorbidities (cancer, diabetes, heart failure, COPD, obesity, etc.).
The United States and Great Britain on alert
According to the latest WHO report, over 1 million new cases of covid-19 and over 3100 deaths were reported in July. And the Eris variant is now predominant in the United States and Great Britain. Thus, the UK Health Security Agency estimated that as of July 20, the EG.5.1 variant accounted for 14.55% of all Covid-19 cases and was increasing at a rate of 20.51% per week. In the United States, this variant has increased from about 11.9% of all Covid-19 cases at the end of July to 17.3% on August 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And the World Health Organization (WHO) just placed Eris on the list of variants under surveillance.
But if this new variant seems to be spreading rapidly, for the moment, “it is not associated with any particular symptomatology or virulence” as pointed out by Professor Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health in Geneva (Switzerland). ) on TF1. Furthermore, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says he appears to be susceptible to coronavirus vaccines.
