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Already the most prevalent subvariant in the US, Eris now accounts for 29.4 percent of COVID cases in the US in the CDC's report released Saturday, Sept. 30.
Two weeks ago, Eris accounted for 24.5 percent of US cases.
Eris is an offshoot of the highly-contagious Omicron strain.
In a Risk Evaluation statement on the EG.5 strain released late last week, the World Health Organization said cases of the subvariant have been confirmed in 71 countries, with the largest percentages in the United States, followed by China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
"While EG.5 has shown increased prevalence, growth advantage, and immune escape properties compared to other currently circulating variants, there have been no reported changes in disease severity to date," the WHO said.
"However, due to its growth advantage and immune escape characteristics, EG.5 has caused a rise in case incidence and has become the most prevalent variant globally."
EG.5 was first identified in mid-February 2023 and designated as a variant under monitoring in mid-July.
Symptoms reported for Eris include:
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Cough
- Nausea
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Changes to or loss of sense of smell
- Changes to or loss of sense of taste
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