A new variant of Covid named after the Greek goddess is believed to be spreading in the United Kingdom (UK) and becoming the second most dominant variant of the virus, writes Yahoo News.
Experts said the recent surge in the virus was not an immediate cause for alarm, but said people should remain vigilant.
Bad weather prompting people to spend more time indoors – as well as the release of popular films Barbie and Oppenheimer prompting people to flock to cinemas – has been blamed for the rise in Covid cases and official figures have been increased. A weakened immune system probably means that the infection can be transmitted more easily.
Figures from the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) revealed that 5.4% of tests on people with a respiratory illness last week showed it was Covid – up from 3.7% the week before.
The overall rate of hospital admissions for Covid-19 also rose to 1.97 per 100,000 population, up from 1.17 per 100,000 in the previous week.
But despite this, intensive care admission rates fell to 0.05 compared to 0.07, the UKHSA said.
Professor Christina Pagel tweeted that while the UK is now “definitely” in a new wave, it is unlikely to be as big as the previous one.
But she warned that there is likely to be a bigger increase in September as people return from holidays, schools reopen and workers return to offices.
The rise in Covid cases has been attributed to a wave of the Eris variant, also known as EG.5.1 – a relative of the omicron strain, which currently accounts for 12% of UK sequences.
“The National Health Service will inform the public in the fall of 2023 when the seasonal vaccine will be available for those who qualify due to health conditions or age, so we urge everyone who is offered to receive the vaccine,” said Dr. Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunization at the UKHSA.
