Eris variant causes rise in France COVID cases

Following the emergence of a new variant nicknamed "Eris", France has experienced a slight surge in COVID-19 cases and a consequent rise in medical procedures and emergency room visits since Aug 1.

Government health bodies recorded a 31 percent average rise in the number of visits to emergency rooms for suspected COVID-19 cases in the first week of the month, reported the France 24 news network.

French medical service SOS Medecins reported an 84 percent increase in medical consultations for suspected COVID-19 cases, affecting all age groups, but particularly notable in children younger than 2.

In a statement, the health ministry said the rise in incidence in mainland France was "localized, particularly in the southwest and essentially driven by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region", and noted that "most cases are in very popular holiday regions".

Scientists have attributed the upsurge to the emergence of the EG.5 and EG.5.1 variants, together nicknamed "Eris" after the Greek goddess of discord.

Eris is a subvariant of the Omicron lineage that originally emerged in November 2021. The World Health Organization, or WHO, said it does not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than other variants and that there "is no evidence of an increase in disease severity directly associated with EG.5".

The variant was first acknowledged by the WHO in February, and was added to its list of variants of interest last month.

The WHO has previously stated that: "Due to its growth advantage and immune escape properties, EG.5 may cause a rise in case incidence and become dominant in some countries or even globally."

While vaccinations have significantly reduced the threat of COVID-19, new variants continue to evolve.

According to Gisaid, an international database on which official COVID-19 data is shared, the EG.5.1 strain is now found in about 35 percent of the viruses sequenced in France.

Antoine Flahault, epidemiologist and director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine, was quoted by France 24 as saying a new COVID-19 wave was "appearing with the emergence of a new variant, which is more transmissible than its predecessors and establishing itself as the dominant variant".

However, Mircea Sofonea, an associate professor at the University of Montpellier, told French media the 35 percent figure was an estimate and should be treated with "precaution", as the current tests exhibit "sampling bias" and may not accurately represent infections nationwide.

The Reuters news agency reported that COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are on the rise in the United States, Europe, and Asia, with health officials pointing at Eris as a reason.

As of Aug 8, the WHO reported that EG.5 had been detected in more than 50 countries. In the US, it was the most prevalent and rapidly spreading COVID-19 subvariant, and was believed to account for approximately 17 percent of cases. The variant now makes up one in seven cases in the United Kingdom, reported Sky News.