Although the coronavirus has “left” the current agenda, some countries, which were especially actively “closed” to the pandemic, continue to monitor it. And in Thailand, a new rapidly spreading infection was discovered, which immediately made the press tensely talk about it: according to reports from the Department of Medical Sciences, a new and rapidly spreading subvariant of the XBB coronavirus, called EG.5.1, has been identified in the country. Despite its rapid spread, it has been observed to cause predominantly mild symptoms.
As stated by Dr. Supakit Sirilak said that in the last three months, five people have been diagnosed with this subvariant. The first case was detected in April, three cases in May and one in June. And none of these people had serious symptoms. The expert also explained that the EG.5.1 sub-variant, also known as XBB.1.9.2.5.1, is related to the Omicron XBB.1.9.2 sub-variant, which is characterized by a sharp increase in its transmission rate resulting from the mutation – 45% more than the sub-variant XBB.1.16.
To date, 11 countries in Asia have reported cases of this new subvariant. The list includes China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Israel, Laos, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and India. There are also 1385 cases of EG.5.1 in Europe and 35 cases in North America.
“The implications of these findings have not gone unnoticed, and the World Health Organization is giving due consideration to the eight sub-options of Omicron. This includes two options that are currently generating interest, and six more options that are currently under close scrutiny,” the Thai media added.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, Recommended reading: “Nutritionists reveal five 'miraculous' diets to avoid at all costs.”