The Laboratory of Respiratory Viruses, Exanthematics, Enteroviruses and Viral Emergencies, of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), confirmed on Wednesday (30) the identification of local transmission of a new variant of Covid-19, EG.5.
According to the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Health Department, the variant was identified in a 46-year-old male patient who had mild symptoms.
As reported by the organ, the patient has no travel history, which indicates that there is local transmission of this lineage. The man had also not taken the booster dose with the bivalent against covid-19.
So far, four cases of the new variant have been confirmed in Brazil, two in São Paulo, one in the Federal District and one in Rio de Janeiro, says the Ministry of Health.
According to Fiocruz, in all, in South America, about 40 cases of the subvariant were identified in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the EG.5 strain as a “variant of interest”, due to a mutation found in the Spike protein and the rapid increase in cases in European countries, the United States and China.
However, the currently available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 poses additional public health risks relative to other strains descended from Omicron.
See also: Concern about vaccination goes beyond Covid
Source: CNN Brasil
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