On Thursday, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that the quickly spreading EG.5 (Eris) variant of COVID-19 has not yet appeared in Lebanon.
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The Health Ministry's Director of Epidemiology Tracking Nada Ghosn told NNA that "the ministry is continuously conducting genetic tests to identify the COVID-19 variants present in Lebanon. So far, these tests have not revealed the presence of the EG.5 variant.'"
If the new variant is detected, the ministry will transparently announce it, Ghosn said, adding that the new EG.5 variant was first discovered in February 2023.
According to a weekly report from the World Health Organization (WHO), this variant has been detected in 48 countries to date. Moreover, this variant does not lead to an increased rate of complications. However, according to the WHO, this mutation should be closely monitored as additional mutations can make it more severe and contagious.
On Thursday, the Iraqi Health Ministry spokesman Saif Al-Badr also confirmed that no infection has been recorded in the country with the new coronavirus variant Eris.
Al-Badr said that the ministry, in coordination with international organizations, continues to update its information, diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, while highlighting the ability of the ministry's laboratories to diagnose the new variant and other variants.
He said that the symptoms of the new COVID-19 variant are similar to those of the previous ones, calling on elderly citizens and those with chronic diseases to adhere to health-protective measures, including wearing masks, washing hands frequently and physical distancing.