<\/p>\n
Jennifer Middleton, MD, MPH<\/b> The latest COVID variant of concern, EG.5 (nicknamed \u201cEris\u201d), is now\u00a0the dominant strain<\/a>\u00a0in the United States, the United Kingdom, and China; in the United States, it accounts for\u00a017% of current COVID cases<\/a>\u00a0according to the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>.\u00a0Although this latest SARS-CoV-2 variant\u00a0does not seem to cause more severe disease<\/a>\u00a0than the XBB variants, some scientists are concerned that EG.5\u2019s spike protein mutations may \u201cmay make it slightly less susceptible to antibodies in previously vaccinated and\/or infected people.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n EG.5 was\u00a0first identified by the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a>\u00a0in February 2023 and is a \u201cis a subvariant and descendant of omicron, which is still the world\u2019s most prevalent strain<\/a>.\u201d EG.5\u2019s most common symptoms, rhinorrhea, dry cough, and sneezing,\u00a0aren\u2019t that different from prior<\/a>\u00a0COVID variants and strains; unfortunately, as flu season approaches in the United States, these symptoms\u00a0aren\u2019t that different from influenza<\/a>\u00a0either. COVID infection rates\u00a0have been increasing<\/a>\u00a0over the last few weeks in the United States, although they are \u201cstill more than 90% below peak levels hit during the January 2022 Omicron outbreak.<\/a>\u201d Prescriptions for\u00a0nirmatrelvir\/ritonavir (Paxlovid) have increased a bit<\/a>\u00a0in the United States, though, and the amount of SARS-CoV-2 detected\u00a0in U.S. wastewater<\/a>\u00a0is also up.<\/p>\n Researchers are testing serum samples from people who received the updated vaccine<\/a>\u00a0in trials for effectiveness against EG.5.\u00a0 Despite concerns about EG.5\u2019s ability to evade antibodies, most scientists still believe that the\u00a0anticipated fall COVID booster<\/a>\u00a0in the United States will still\u00a0provide reasonable protection against EG.5<\/a>:<\/p>\n The updated booster was developed based on another variant that is genetically similar to EG.5. It is expected to provide better protection against EG.5 than last year\u2019s shot, which targeted the original coronavirus strain and a much earlier Omicron variant that is only distantly related.<\/a><\/p>\n Although\u00a070% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated<\/a>* against COVID, these rates are\u00a0much lower in children<\/a>: only 2% of children 6 to 24 months of age, 4% of children 2 to 4 years of age, and 32% of children 5 to 11 years of age. With the\u00a0school year starting in most parts of the United S<\/a>tates, the rate of COVID cases could accelerate again, and we should be encouraging COVID vaccination at all well checks, daycare physicals, and school physicals.<\/p>\n The\u00a0AFP<\/i>\u00a0By Topic web page\u00a0on COVID-19<\/a>,\u00a0<\/i>which can be found on\u00a0American Family Physician<\/i>‘s website, continues to be updated; the page contains resources on risk stratification, point-of-care testing, and long COVID, among others. You can follow the rate of vaccine uptake\u00a0here<\/a>, and the\u00a0CDC<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0WHO<\/a>\u00a0also have websites dedicated to COVID-19 updates.<\/p>\n *\u2014”Fully vaccinated\u201d includes only the initial vaccination series and does not include the percentage of people who have received booster doses; booster rates\u00a0vary widely by state<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nPosted on August 28, 2023<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n