MADRID, 26 Aug. (EDITIONS) –
In the last month, Spain and up to 51 countries around the world have experienced a large increase in Covid-19 cases due to the presence of the new ‘EG-5’ variant, commonly known as ‘Eris’, which comes from the Omicron strain and is “more contagious” but the symptoms are “very similar to those of a cold” without actually causing more severe cases or more critical hospitalizations.
This was explained by the professor of the Master’s Degree in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Valencia and an expert in tropical diseases, parasitology, virology and epidemiology, Dr. Raimundo Seguí, in an interview with Europa Press, assuring that these growths “are normal because every new variant that comes out is always associated with more transmission.”
“It is the advantage that they are gaining. As they mutate and new variants appear, they are always more contagious than the previous ones and they always have a little more power to escape the immunity that vaccines or infections have provided us,” he detailed. the doctor followed.
In this sense, the expert explained that, being a virus with so many mutations, “transmission is greatly facilitated.” However, the new EG.5 variant comes from Ómicron, so its symptoms are very similar and “it is not more serious.”
“Symptomatologically we cannot distinguish it from the previous ones. The variants that have derived from the original Omicron have not been more serious than others,” he added.
As reported by Dr. Seguí, the main difference between all the variants that have occurred since Omicron and the original coronavirus, known as the “Wuhan virus”, is that there is no loss of smell and taste, which was “a very characteristic”.
Now, the symptoms of this new variant are very similar to that of Omicron and are characterized by: fever, tiredness, muscle fatigue, rhinitis, dry cough, headaches and, on occasion, digestive symptoms such as diarrhea or even tachycardia.
“It equates to a lot of the symptoms of a cold from the air conditioning, and that’s the problem we have right now and probably why a lot of people are transmitting without knowing they have it, who get confused especially now in the summer,” he said. secured the expert.
However, even if there are more infections, the specialist has pointed out that “this variant has not brought more ICU admissions or many complications that the previous ones would not have already had”, but that “we must not stop thinking that as long as these hospitalizations increase is because infections are increasing”.
The EG.5 variant is a succession of Ómicron, which is why, according to Dr. Seguí, the latest vaccines continue to be effective in protecting against serious virus infection, but not contagion. Although these variants are different and may have an “immunological escape” from the vaccines, the expert remarked that “as long as there are Omicron variants, the population is protected” because “the latest vaccine updates have been adapted to this new variant, which changed the course of the virus”.
“The variants continue to circulate and, since Ómicron, a dynasty has been created that does not stop, the virus continues to evolve, but we have the perception that not because in the last year there has been much less talk,” he asserted.
Although the symptoms and way of transmission of this new variant is very similar to the previous ones, ‘Eris’ is even more contagious due to the speed with which the virus mutates in order to survive.
“The main objective of the virus is always to survive and mutations occur in each contagion that occurs, so they multiply much more, with which this high reproduction rate leads to a high mutation rate and a virus always appears that has that mutation that allows it to escape the immune barrier more or be more contagious,” explained the specialist.
This occurs because, in order to survive, the virus must improve biologically so as not to die and to be able to continue infecting and, with it, continue to mutate. “We always talk about a worrisome variant, but we must bear in mind that thousands will be circulating, only the one that becomes predominant is the one that acquires that advantage in the mutation,” he added.
“The next wave will be for a variant derived from the one we have now, because it will have gained even more transmission and even more exhaust capacity,” he concluded.
In addition, this new variant also presents a large percentage of asymptomatic people, a fact that further facilitates contagion. “It is true that in the first variants there were more asymptomatic people but now, although there is usually a higher percentage of symptomatic, there is still a considerable percentage of asymptomatic people who are carrying the virus and causing it to pass to other people”, the minister clarified. epidemiologist.
For this reason, Dr. Seguí has ??aimed to continue using the masks when you are with the elderly or vulnerable people or in closed spaces such as health centers and hospitals. “It is a measure of responsibility that does not require much effort and helps a lot to prevent,” he declared.
Regarding the influence of heat on the virus and the question of whether extreme heat can make this new variant disappear, as occurs with the flu, the expert has assured that high temperatures will not make ‘Eris’ disappear since in this time of year there is “more movement” of people and, therefore, more infections.
“It was said that with the heat the Covid-19 is more attenuated but it has already been seen since the first summer that this was not the case, in fact, in summer we have had two strong waves. The heat will not affect it,” he clarified.
Likewise, he added that “with summer mobility, interactions begin, exchanges of people between different countries and each new variant becomes dominant based on these mobility episodes.”
