New COVID-19 Variant Eris: Tunisia Detects First Case of New Coronavirus Variant EG.5
Tunisia has detected the country's first case of new coronavirus variant EG.5, said a Tunisian official. The infection was found in an infant following genome sequencing at Charles Nicolle Hospital in the capital Tunis, the official news agency Tunis Afrique Presse reported on Tuesday.
Tunis, September 6: Tunisia has detected the country's first case of new coronavirus variant EG.5, said a Tunisian official. The infection was found in an infant following genome sequencing at Charles Nicolle Hospital in the capital Tunis, the official news agency Tunis Afrique Presse reported on Tuesday, citing Hechmi Louzir, a member of Tunisia's Scientific Committee to Combat Coronavirus. COVID-19 Variant EG.5.1 in UK: New Coronavirus Variant ‘Eris’ Spreading Rapidly Across Country, Says Report.
Louzir said the infant, in stable condition, has been discharged from the hospital, adding that no infections were reported among the hospital staff or the infant's family members, Xinhua news agency reported. He assured that the new coronavirus variant, which is less contagious, would not be a threat to public health compared to other variants that have significantly affected the country's healthcare system. New COVID-19 Variant: WHO Declares Eris a 'Variant of Interest'; Check How It Is Different From Other Omicron Variants.
EG.5 is a sub-variant of Omicron XBB.1.9.2. and the first EG.5-related case was reported in February. On August 9, the World Health Organisation designated it as a "variant of interest," but meanwhile noted that the variant poses a low risk to public health.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2023 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).