According to reports from the Department of Medical Sciences, a new and rapidly spreading Coronavirus XBB subvariant, named EG.5.1, has been identified in Thailand. Although fast-spreading, it has been observed to cause predominantly mild symptoms.
Remarkable insights came to light yesterday when the Head of the Department, Dr Supakit Sirilak revealed that five individuals had been diagnosed with this subvariant over the past three months. The first case was identified in April, whilst three cases were detected in May and a solitary case was found in June. Interestingly, none of these individuals developed severe symptoms.
In a bid to offer a clearer understanding, Dr Supakit elaborated further. The EG.5.1 subvariant, also scientifically referred to as XBB.1.9.2.5.1, is linked to the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.9.2. Crucially, it exhibits a mutation in its spike proteins, namely S:F456L and S:Q52H. The outcome of such a mutation is a sharp increase in its speed of transmission – a shocking 45% more than that of subvariant XBB.1.16.
On a larger scale, 11 countries across Asia have reported cases of this new subvariant. The list includes significant nations such as China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Israel, Laos, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and India.
Higher case statistics emerge when we look at the global view. The Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) sheds light on the reach of this subvariant. Europe has recorded 1,385 EG.5.1 cases, followed by Oceania with 203 cases. In North America, 35 cases have been found, whilst South America and Central America have reported one and four cases, respectively.
In terms of dominance amongst circulating strains, between June 4 and July 4 in Asia, the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 reigned supreme. It was closely followed by subvariants XBB.1.9.1 and the newly identified EG.5.1.
The ramifications of such discoveries have not gone unnoticed, and the World Health Organisation is giving due importance to eight Omicron subvariants. This includes two variants that are currently raising interest and a further six variants that are now under close monitoring, reported Bangkok Post.
