Gelisim News

“Do not worry about mask mandate speculations for now”

After the Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced that the Eris variant of Covid-19 was seen in Türkiye, Covid-19 started to be discussed again. Infectious Diseases Specialist Asst. Prof. Dr. Savaş Vural stated that the disease-causing feature of the virus has weakened with the change over time.

In its recent report on the Eris (EG.5) variant, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated the status of the species, which was previously the "variant under observation", as the "variant to be monitored" and emphasized that the prevalence of Eris is constantly increasing worldwide. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced that Eris variant was seen in 9 people in Turkey. Stating that those who have contracted the virus have contacted abroad and are in the same province, Koca also added the following: "There is nothing to worry about." Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU), Infectious Diseases Specialist Asst. Prof. Dr. Savaş Vural: “Eris is a subtype of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and a virus closely associated with other variants circulating around the world. Between June and July, the global prevalence of the virus appears to have increased by more than 1002 percent. As of August 7, more than 7,000 samples were shared from 51 countries. Based on the available evidence, the public health risk posed by Eris has been assessed as low at a ‘global level’.”

“Contacts with similar viruses strengthen people's collective immune memory”

Stating that Eris symptoms are similar to other variants, Infectious Diseases Specialist Asst. Prof. Dr. Savaş Vural added the following: “Symptoms of Covid-19 include fever, cough and fatigue, as well as runny nose, headache and muscle pain. You may feel like a slight cold, flu, or severe pneumonia. According to who experts, the public health risk of the new variant is lower due to its proximity to other mutants. Because contacts with other similar viruses strengthen the common immune memory of people.”

“The virus has changed so much over time that its disease-causing characteristics have weakened”

Questions like "Are we going back masking?" or "Do we need to be vaccinated again?" puzzling everyone's mind.While it is known that vaccine companies are trying to adapt Covid-19 vaccines for the Omicron variants closest to Eris, it is likely that the existing vaccines will provide some protection against the Eris variant, the University of Oxford said in a statement. Dr. Vural: “Subtypes of the Omicron variant, such as the Eris mutation, can escape antibodies that have been created against them, but that does not mean the new variant is more contagious or more lethal.” The virus has changed so much over time that its disease-causing characteristics have weakened. Also, the immune system is not just made up of antibodies. In the background, the T cells come into play immediately. In addition, we should not forget the antibodies inherited from previous respiratory infections. So for now, worries such as ‘Masked days are coming back' are not true.