NEWS The virus that caused the COVID -19 pandemic is constantly changing into new variants. The latest variant that has now arrived in Sweden is called Eris. In principle, we should treat Eris in the same way as previous variants, says Niklas Arnberg, virology professor at Umeå University.
Niklas Arnberg, professor at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, and UCMR PI at Umeå University.
ImageMattias PetterssonThe EG.5 variant or Eris as it is often called is a sub-variant to the Omikron variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus behind COVID-19. Eris can be expected to soon become the dominant variant.
“Those who still haven't been vaccinated at all and haven't had COVID-19 run a relatively high risk of becoming seriously ill, so for that group I strongly recommend getting vaccinated. But there may also be value in taking a top-up dose even if you have been vaccinated before and/or if you have had COVID-19. The latest variant can to some extent bypass the immunity you have received via vaccines and from the disease itself, and many of us can therefore suffer from a serious flu-like illness. You can avoid it completely or at least get less sick with vaccination. This applies especially to the elderly and vulnerable. Today's vaccines also protect against Eris, but the updated vaccine that will be available later this autumn is expected to provide slightly better protection against the new variant,” says Niklas Arnberg, professor of virology at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University.
“If you are in some type of risk group and have the opportunity to get tested, I absolutely think that there can be value in this, because there is still a risk that you will become seriously ill from COVID-19. Nowadays, the healthcare system has knowledge and tools that allow you to treat those who become seriously ill, and the earlier you can start treatment, the better it is, of course. The faster you recover, the better it is for both the person who gets sick and also for the healthcare system.”
“It is as before during the pandemic and with new variants and sub-variants. The virus mutates all the time and as we develop immunity against previous variants, new variants that can evade the immunity we received via vaccine and infection will take over and spread. Although viruses are not defined as living organisms, we can still see this as an example of evolutionary biology and "survival of the fittest" in real time. Exactly the same thing also happens to the flu virus and other viruses, all the time. These are natural laws whose effects we can only partially control and combat.”
“Fortunately, viruses do not "earn" by becoming more dangerous. In that case, we stay in bed, and then we don't spread the infection as much as if we have a simple cold, when we go to work and school. The natural thing is instead that the virus causes milder and milder illness over time, and eventually ends up causing a relatively mild infection that stops in a cold or flu-like illness. I would probably say that we are already there, or at the latest after the coming winter. Then the WHO can cancel the pandemic status. Some of us continue to work on building knowledge and tools that will be needed when we are hit by virus-caused pandemics in the future. Even if we want to forget and move on, I think we virologists have a responsibility for society to build preparedness that will help us handle the next pandemic as well as possible.”
