Azernews.Az

Rena Murshud

Read more

COVID-19, which is just being forgotten, is looming out again with another name - Eris.

The emergence of the Eris variant, first seen in Indonesia and then in Turkiye, brought many questions to mind. How dangerous is this variant? What is the rate of spread? Is there any fear of coming to Azerbaijan? Will there be another lockdown again? How long will it take?

According to the research conducted by Azernews, it seems that during a period when the virus is alive it continues to be transmitted, its new variants have become common. It has been seen in more than 50 countries in the world and the Eris variant is becoming further widespread.

This new variant, which is quick to spread, generally resembles the common cold. It causes symptoms such as runny nose, cough, weakness and nausea. There may be loss of taste and smell. People with such symptoms should rest at home for a week and avoid social gatherings. If this is done, the epidemic will be prevented from spreading in society.

The first rule is the hygiene, i.e. the use of a mask in this process. People who are sick should not mix up with society. If one has to come together with other people, that person should use a mask. There is currently no reason for healthy people to use a mask. However, people with chronic diseases, elderly people, and immunocompromised people need to protect themselves. It is already clear to everyone how to protect themselves during the pandemic period.

COVID-19, which first appeared in Wuhan, China, in 2019, has mutated many times. It continued to spread to every corner of the world with different variants. During this process, the World Health Organization (WHO) determined some of the emerging variants as "concerning variants".

The Alpha variant, which was first detected in England in September 2020. So much so that it influenced England at that time. It spread all over the world. With the increase of the Delta variant, it disappeared.

The Beta variant was identified in South Africa at the end of 2020. It quickly spread to other countries. It was stated that Beta is 50 percent more contagious than the first type of coronavirus.

The Delta variant was first identified in India in September 2020. It spread all over the world in a short time. It has become the most dominant variant of the coronavirus.

The Gamma variant was detected for the first time in passengers traveling from Japan to Brazil in January 2020. It caused many deaths in Brazil.

The Omicron variant appeared in South Africa in November 2021. It was determined to be more contagious than Delta. It spread rapidly all over the world. Two subspecies of the Omicron variant, Eris and Pirola, began to spread rapidly all over the world.

Eris, a subtype of the Omicron variant, was first seen in Indonesia in February 2023. The World Health Organization evaluated it as a "variant to watch" in the report published on August 9.

Pirola, first seen in 2023, is a subspecies of the Omicron variant. After it was detected, it started to spread around the world.

First of all, there is no need to worry because all the reported cases are mild cases. There is no serious illness. Deaths related to COVID-19 are decreasing in the world.

It is not yet known whether it will come to Azerbaijan. We hope that we will not go back to the old times again and face a chaotic epidemic like in the 2020-2021. Because this virus has learned to live with humans over time. It changed itself through mutations. It learned how to live together without killing people or making them seriously ill. Over time, people gained immunity either by being vaccinated or by contracting the disease. Since social immunity has been gained, there will not be such a chaotic return.

---

Rena Murshud is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz