MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. The EG.5 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus strain, also called Eris, poses no particular threat, Senior Researcher at the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology Anatoly Altshtein told TASS.

"The case fatality rate [of Omicron subvariants] is quite stable and if the healthcare situation is fine, it stands at about 0.035%. This subvariant is likely to cause the same number of deaths, and there is no reason to expect it to be higher. It poses no particular threat," he pointed out.

Altshtein added that the EG.5 subvariant was about to replace the XBB.1.5 subvariant of the Omicron strain, nicknamed Kraken. "These subvariants differ by only one mutation and the difference between them is not significant in terms of their biological properties. All in all, [Eris] does not cause higher mortality or more severe forms of the disease compared to other Omicron subvariants," he explained.

According to Russia’s sanitary watchdog, 17 EG.5 cases were identified in the country between April and August. The watchdog points out that the new subvariant has not spread widely in Russia so far but there is still a risk that the coronavirus situation will get worse.