The clinical picture caused by the latest type of coronavirus, EG.5 the subvariant called Eris, in most cases it is mild, both in children and in adults. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement that the latest strain does not pose a major threat because there is currently no evidence that this latest strain causes more severe forms of the disease.

According to the WHO, Eris was first registered in February 2023 and since then the number of people infected with this subvariant has been steadily increasing.

The symptoms are similar to the symptoms of corona that we are already used to: high fever, sore throat, pronounced malaise, dry cough that does not stop, runny nose, as well as loss of the sense of smell and taste, writes Dr. Sasha Bozović for "stethoscope".

Eris coronavirus does not have any specific symptoms, mostly they are mild or common symptoms of covid-19. Like other omicron strains, EG.5 infects the upper respiratory tract causing discomfort, stuffy and runny noses, leading many people to think they have an allergy, then sore throats, coughs and other cold-like symptoms, in contrast to the symptoms in the lower respiratory tract, explains Dr. Scott Roberts, an infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine at Yale University. But people over 65 or those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of the virus attacking the lower respiratory tract, causing severe illness.

– I am not aware of any data indicating that EG.5 leads to worse, more severe cases of covid-19 compared to previous variants. But early reports have shown that EG.5 is spreading faster than any other strain currently circulating, explains Dr. Scott Roberts, who has tracked and analyzed the summer spike in Covid-19 cases.

Clinical prognosis for patients belonging to risk groups

In every disease there are risk groups, including in this new strain of coronavirus. At risk groups are the elderly, children and people with related diseases. They may develop more severe manifestations of the disease for two reasons:

1. due to immaturity of immunity

2. due to impaired immunity

Protection against the new type of corona at a time when isolation is not mandatory

Measures to protect against infectious diseases are universal and include:

– home isolation – if necessary
– avoiding large gatherings of people
– frequent hand washing
– wearing a mask

Another form of protecting your environment from the new type of coronavirus is testing. Testing can be done in any registered laboratory, and there is also the possibility of purchasing a rapid test in pharmacies.

The beginning of the school year and the coronavirus

If signs of a respiratory infection appear, it is certainly necessary to send such a student to home isolation and contact his pediatrician. In schools, it is recommended to wear masks, wash your hands often, but also what is often forgotten - ventilation of the classrooms. It is important to teach children how to prepare their work space in accordance with measures to protect against infectious diseases.

The most important thing is to work preventively on raising the immunity of the individual.

Independent strengthening of the immune system

We should adhere to a balanced diet with a sufficient intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. But that cannot be enough if we do not have quality sleep and rest, as well as being in nature and regular physical activity.