WHAT IS THE ERIS VARIANT?

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WHAT ARE THE METHODS OF PREVENTION FROM THE ERIS VARIANT?
 

Stating that, based on the information so far, the Eris variant can escape antibodies formed by vaccination or after a previous illness and cause contagion or disease, Bayındır Health Group, Bayındır Söğütözü Hospital and Bayındır Kavaklıdere Hospital Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Prof., one of the Turkish İş Bank group companies. Dr. Ali Acar gave important information about the Eris variant.
The Eris variant, which is a subtype of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, most commonly occurs with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, as with other SARS-CoV-2 virus variants. Compared to Omicron or previous COVID-19 variants, the Eris variant, which has no difference in terms of its disease-causing mechanism, makes a difference in that it is more easily transmitted than the variant that is in circulation and is replacing it. Having previously had Eris variant disease and being vaccinated against Covid-19 may not provide protection against the disease.
HOW IS THE ERIS VARIANT TRANSMITTED? IS THE ERIS VARIANT FATAL?
Bayındır Söğütözü Hospital and Bayındır Kavaklıdere Hospital Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Prof. Dr. Ali Acar stated that, based on the information so far, they have observed that the Eris variant can escape from the vaccine or antibodies formed after previous illnesses and cause contagion or disease, and made the following statements:
“Infections caused by the Eris variant are not more severe than Omicron or earlier variant infections. In other words, Eris variant infections tend to be mild and do not have a high frequency of causing hospitalization or death. It can be said that it causes a much milder infection than the Delta variant and a similar or milder infection than Omicron. Of course, this information is valid for now, and a more precise evaluation will be possible when more data is obtained in the future.”
HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE THE ERIS VARIANT FROM COLD AND FLU?
Stating that the Eris variant can be confused with cold and flu, Bayındır Söğütözü Hospital and Bayındır Kavaklıdere Hospital Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Prof. Dr. Ali Acar: “Cold is a disease that is accompanied by sneezing, coughing, runny nose, burning eyes, sensitivity to light, sore throat and sometimes high fever, usually leading to a simple upper respiratory tract infection. Flu, on the other hand, is caused by viruses called influenza and causes cold-like symptoms, as well as more severe muscle-joint pain, high fever symptoms and sometimes systemic involvement. It is possible to protect against influenza by getting vaccinated every year. Coronavirus infection is a viral disease caused by the virus called SARS-COV-2, which first appeared in China in December 2019 and subsequently caused the pandemic. "Although it generally causes acute upper respiratory tract symptoms and signs, it is an infection that can lead to lung infection and even death, characterized by severe respiratory failure, especially in the elderly and those with chronic diseases," he said.
ERIS VARIANT DURATION MAY VARY DEPENDING ON THE PATIENT
Stating that the severity and duration of the disease caused by the Eris variant is similar to the disease caused by the Omicron variant, Prof. Dr. Ali Acar: “Although the Eris variant is more easily transmitted than the Omicron variant, it seems to cause a milder disease. Therefore, although the duration of the disease varies depending on the age of the person and whether or not he has an underlying disease, it can be said to be 5-7 days in symptomatic cases with a mild course. However, it should not be forgotten that it can cause a significant number of asymptomatic diseases and people can be contagious during this period,” he said.
METHODS OF PREVENTION FROM ERIS VARIANT
Stating that the protective measures that must be taken to protect against the disease caused by the Eris variant are no different from previous variants, Prof. Dr. Ali Acar explained the protection methods:
wearing a mask,
Ensuring hand hygiene,
Avoiding being in the same environment with people thought to be sick,
Covering the mouth and nose with a disposable tissue or the inside of the elbow when coughing and sneezing,
Avoiding contact of hands with eyes, nose and mouth,
Avoiding crowded environments
Apart from these, vaccination, as is known, is the most effective protective measure.
“Until EFFECTIVE VACCINES AGAINST THE ERIS VARIANT ARRIVE IN OUR COUNTRY
“CURRENT VACCINES CAN BE USED”
Underlining that it does not seem possible to say that the vaccines in our country are protective against the Eris variant, Prof. Dr. Ali Acar: “It developed against the Omicron variant in the USA in 2022New bivalent vaccines were replaced by vaccines effective against new variants as of September 11, 2023. The most important reason for this is the insufficient effectiveness of old vaccines against subtype variants of the Omicron variant and the newly identified Eris variant. "On the other hand, until effective vaccines against new variants such as Eris arrive in our country, vaccinating those in the risk group with existing vaccines and/or giving booster doses can reduce hospitalization, development of severe disease and death," he said.