After two years of pandemic quarantine, one would like to forget about all diseases and infections, yet some countries continue to keep a close eye on various coronaviruses. As a result, a new rapidly spreading virus has been discovered in Thailand. The Department of Medical Sciences has reported in the media that a new fast-spreading sub-variant of the XBB coronavirus, called EG.5.1, has been discovered in the country. Unlike other sub-variants of the coronavirus, this one is fast-spreading but has mostly mild symptoms.
According to Dr. Supakit Sirilak’s statement, this type of virus has been diagnosed in 5 people in the last three months. And the disease was first detected in April, followed by three cases in May and one in June. The disease was almost asymptomatic. The doctor explained that variant EG.5.1 or XBB.1.9.2.5.1, related to the Omicron variant XBB.1.9.2, has a higher transmission rate of almost 50% than the sub-variant XBB.1.16.
To date, eleven countries in Asia have reported the new sub-variant: China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Israel, Laos, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and India. In Europe, the number of cases is higher – 1385 EG.5.1, and 35 cases have been diagnosed in North America.