Beijing, Aug 21 (EFE).- The EG.5 has emerged as the most common coronavirus substrain in China, accounting for 71.6 percent of Covid-19 infections in the country this month, the state-run China Daily reported Monday.
The data, released during the weekend by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of China, indicate a marked increase in infections of this subvariant compared to April when it accounted for a mere 0.6 percent.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified EG.5 as a variant of interest, however, it has not indicated that it poses a greater threat compared to other strains.
Those who got infected with the XBB subvariant of the omicron variant between April and June may have some immunity to EG.5.
According to the CDC, so far, the spread of EG.5 has not put significant pressure on the country’s healthcare system, and is unlikely to lead to massive outbreaks.
However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that while the overall risk is low, EG.5 may spread globally and contribute to a surge in cases.
Although the WHO declared the end of the international emergency due to Covid-19 on May 5, he underlined that the virus continues to circulate in all countries, and continues to kill and mutate.
Since the onset of the pandemic at the end of 2019, WHO has recorded more than 768 million cases of Covid-19 across the world, including 6.9 million deaths, making it the most serious global health crisis since the 1918 Spanish Flu. EFE
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