10-8-2023 (WASHINGTON) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Omicron variant EG.5 of the coronavirus is currently the dominant strain in COVID-19 cases in the United States, accounting for 17.3% of total cases as of August 4th, an increase from 7.5% in early July. This surge represents a 5% increase over the past two weeks, surpassing the XBB variant. However, while hospitalizations have also risen, they remain far below previous peaks.
The EG.5 variant is a sublineage of the Omicron variant and is considered one of the fastest-spreading variants globally. It has emerged in competition with other sublineages within the Omicron variant in recent months.
The infection rate of the XBB.1.16 variant accounts for the second-highest percentage of cases in the United States at 15.6%, followed by XBB.2.23 at 11.2% and XBB.1.5 at 10.3%. Some XBB variants are no longer named with the XBB designation, such as FL.1.5.1, which accounts for 8.6% of new cases.
In the week ending July 29th, there were 9,056 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States, representing an approximate 12% increase from the previous week. However, this is significantly lower than previous peaks, such as the peak of 44,000 weekly hospitalizations in early January or the nearly 45,000 hospitalizations in late July last year, during the surge of the Omicron variant.
The CDC has stated that it is unable to provide real-time reports on which strains, including EG.5, are circulating most rapidly in different regions of the United States, as only three major regions – California, New York, and Georgia – have sufficient data for sample analysis to update national estimates.
Nevertheless, the CDC continues to update hospitalization data, and in recent weeks, there has been a slight increase in hospitalizations related to SARS-CoV-2, indicating higher levels of transmission. However, it remains uncertain whether this trend can be attributed to the recent increase in EG.5 variant cases.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), EG.5 accounted for 11.6% of weekly cases globally in mid-July, up from 6.2% four weeks prior. The WHO has classified EG.5 as a “variant of interest,” a level below “variants of concern” or “variants under monitoring.”
According to the WHO’s definition, a “variant of interest” is one that shows a suspected signal of “early growth advantage” compared to other circulating variants.
The UK Health Security Agency reported that EG.5.1 (a descendant of the Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2) has been under surveillance in the UK since July, accounting for 14.5% of cases as of July 20th.
Singapore, on the other hand, detected its first local case of the Omicron variant EG.5 in early May this year. In recent weeks, local cases infected with this variant have accounted for 18% of all community cases, while hospitalizations and severe cases of COVID-19 have remained stable.
According to the latest data from Singapore’s Ministry of Health, the number of weekly COVID-19 cases has declined, with approximately 5,000 cases reported from July 23rd to 29th.
Earlier this year, the country experienced a peak in cases, with over 28,000 cases recorded in a week from March 26th to April 1st.
In response to media inquiries, the Singapore Ministry of Health stated in a press release on Tuesday that the EG.5 variant was first detected overseas in February this year and has since been reported in at least 51 countries.
The World Health Organization has stated that existing evidence does not show a significant increase in cases, disease severity, or deaths attributed to the EG.5 variant compared to other circulating strains.
