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In the face of a steady resurgence of COVID-19 cases globally, Dominica’s epidemiologist, Dr Shalauddin Ahmed, is closely monitoring two new mutant variants, EG.5 (Eris) and BA.X (Pirola), as they continue to cause concern among health officials and governments worldwide, says Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.<\/p>\n
Despite the perception of waning threats, Skerrit noted that the National epidemiologist is keeping a watchful eye on local and regional trends in an effort to stay ahead of any potential outbreaks.<\/p>\n
Skerrit acknowledged the World Health Organization’s (WHO) previous declaration that Covid-19 was receding, and life was returning to normalcy. However, he noted the Ministry of Health and the government have consistently advised residents and citizens to maintain essential hygienic practices, including hand washing, sanitization, and
\nrespiratory etiquette.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to provide the public with the necessary information and education that they need, to ensure that we can stave off this new variant that is in the public domain,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we just have to continue proper hygienic protocols. That is the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He further revealed that, at the moment, the government does not have any plans to implement restrictions on either visitors or residents of Dominica.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the two newly identified variants sweeping through countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have garnered attention due to their potential impact on global health.<\/p>\n
Several weeks ago, the U.K.\u2019s Health Security Agency announced the identification of EG.5, an Omicron sub-variant of the coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2. The sub-variant has since been named Eris. The variant’s novel spike protein mutations raise concerns about its transmissibility and the ease with which it spreads among populations.
\nHowever, as Eris gains momentum, another variant, BA.2.86, nicknamed Pirola, emerges as a potentially more concerning sub-variant of Omicron, experts warn.<\/p>\n
Despite a relatively small number of confirmed cases globally, Pirola’s ability to evade immunity could make it more formidable than its counterparts. Health experts speculate that the variant’s distinctive mutations may lead to increased transmissibility, making it a significant public health concern.<\/p>\n
Last month, the WHO said that it is closely monitoring the new variants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the face of a steady resurgence of COVID-19 cases globally, Dominica’s epidemiologist, Dr Shalauddin Ahmed, is closely monitoring two new mutant variants, EG.5 (Eris) and BA.X (Pirola), as they continue to cause concern among health officials and governments worldwide,…","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":307547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[286,17,77,235,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-307546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-governance","category-health","category-homepage","category-homepage-carousel","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n