Eris is now the second most prevalent COVID strain in the UK: Here's what we know about the symptoms, transmission rate

A new descendant of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus causing COVID has brought the infection to the headlines once again after a considerable gap of months. This new variant which accounts for one in 10 COVID cases, as per reports, was classified as a variant in the UK on July 31. As per UK's health security agency or UKSHA, this is the second most prevalent strain currently.

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So far, no strong evidence has come to the fore on a change in the symptom of COVID in comparison to that seen in the earlier waves. The common symptoms of COVID are runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, and sore throat. Zoe Health Study, which regularly updated its list of symptoms, based on the inputs given by its users, has not updated the relevant page though it shares updates on the number of cases seen in the UK.

Sore throat, runny nose, blocked nose, sneezing, dry cough, headache, wet cough, hoarse voice, muscle aches, and altered smell continue to remain the top COVID symptoms seen among the population The Mirror reported. "However, shortness of breath, a loss of smell and a fever are no longer the main symptoms," the report added.

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While nothing much in detail is available about the transmission rate of the new variant, the surge in COVID cases and hospital admissions in the UK is an indication that sitting back calmly won't help. Just like other descendants of the Omicron, which is prevalent for years, this variant is likely to infect many. As per Zoe Health Study which led the large-scale study on COVID during the pandemic, a total of 808,140 people are currently predicted to have symptomatic COVID in the UK as on August 7.

The UKSHA says Eris was initially raised as a signal in monitoring on 3 July 2023 and a week later on July 10, close to 12% of sequences in the UK were found to be Eris. Currently, this variant is listed under the World Health Organisation's list of variants under monitoring, not as a variant of concern.

Experts say bad weather is responsible for this surge in COVID. Due to the heat people prefer to stay indoors and due to less air circulation inside the home people tend to catch the respiratory infection easily. Another reason experts say that is the waning immunity from the COVID vaccines. Health experts say taking COVID vaccines and booster shots can strengthen immunity in people.

"The UK is “definitely starting another wave” driven by Omicron subvariants, Arcturus and Eris, waning immunity and poor weather," Independent Sage member Prof Christina Pagel told media outlet The Independent. “It is likely to be dominant by September when kids return to school and adults to work or university, plus we start spending much more time inside,” she said.