EG.5 subvariant now the dominant COVID-19 strain in the US, picture remains unclear

The latest genomic surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the ommicron subvariant EG.5 of COVID-19 is now the most prevalent strain in the United States, but lax data collection has It is difficult to determine what this means for the United States. Country.

The EG.5 micron subvariant accounts for 17.3% of coronavirus infections in the United States, a 5% increase in the two weeks the proportion was last updated, according to CDC data.

EG.5 prevalence is currently relatively low, with the second most prevalent strain, XBB.1.16, accounting for 15.6 percent of cases.

The CDC does not track COVID-19 infection rates nationwide, but hospitalization data is still updated regularly. Hospitalizations due to SARS-CoV-2 have increased slightly in the past few weeks, suggesting higher levels of infection, but whether this trend is due to the recent increase in EG.5 remains uncertain. opaque.

With the lifting of the national public health emergency for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) earlier this year, virus data collection has become much less comprehensive. CDC currently only has genomic data for 3 of the 10 US regions under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

EG.5 is predominant only in one of the three HHS regions for which genomic data are available, region 4, which includes most of the southeast.

EG.5 belongs to the XBB family of ohmic submutants mutated from strain XBB.1.9.2. The subvariant XBB.1.5 dominated the US for several months in a row until July when he was briefly overtaken by XBB.1.16.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), EG.5 was first detected in February this year. Last month, WHO classified EG.5 as a ‘variant under monitoring’. This implies a genetic difference that may indicate an ‘early growth advantage signal’ compared to other epidemic strains, but this mutant requires further evaluation.

This current designation includes variants of concern that WHO has deemed to have a “major impact” on the ability of health systems to care for patients with COVID-19, and variants of concern associated with infectious diseases. It separates EG.5 from Increased cases and other epidemiological risks.

This dominant strain is genetically closer to XBB.1.5 and could be a boon to the US heading into the fall. As health officials prepare for the fall COVID-19 vaccine campaign, XBB.1.5 dominates so far when the Health Advisory Board selects the strain for this season Vaccine makers are developing their latest vaccines targeting XBB.1.5 because of the strain.

XBB.1.5 may not be the most widely circulating new coronavirus strain this fall, but health officials say the most circulating strain is close enough that a vaccine is strong enough to cross severe disease and hospitalizations. expected to provide protection.