A new Covid variant is on the rise – how worried should we be? | Devi Sridhar

It is important we stay level-headed as new subvariants emerge and mutate in the coming weeks and months

Covid-19 is creeping back into the news cycle. As we head towards the autumn, disease rates are increasing in the community and a recent spike of interest in an Omicron subvariant, EG.5, which the World Health Organization has classified as a variant of interest, has caused concern among those whose memories of recent winters haven't faded. There is an undeniable feeling of deja vu. So how worried should we be?

The WHO is tracking the spread of EG.5 globally, but notes that the risk posed to public health remains low. There is currently no indication of increased severity of infection or an increased hospitalisation rate with this new strain. For those who were asymptomatic or had a mild version of the disease, the continued talk of Covid may seem irrelevant or even scare-mongering. But for those who are suffering with long Covid, are immunocompromised or who lost a loved one during the pandemic, any news of increased prevalence of the disease must be worrying. These people know how devastating Covid can be.

Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh