WHO warns of spread of new coronavirus variant

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that a new variant of the omicron strain of coronavirus EG.5 is spreading rapidly around the world.

Report informs, citing the organization, that EG.5 is a descendant of XBB.1.9.2 which has the same amino acid profile as XBB.1.5.

EG.5 carries an additional f456l amino acid mutation in the spike protein compared to the parental XBB.1.9.2. It was first registered on February 17, 2023.

A total of 7354 EG.5 sequences from 51 countries were submitted as of August 7. The largest part of the sequences is in China (30.6%).

There has been a steady increase in the proportion of reported cases worldwide, the WHO report says. During the 29th epidemiological week (17 to 23 July 2023), the global prevalence of EG.5 was 17.4%. This is a marked increase compared to the data presented by four weeks earlier.