The main predator is gone but its nightmarish mutations remain at large devastating the developing as well as developed nations across the globe with their vicious symptoms and the puzzling viral hunt following COVID.
The pertinent question on everyone’s mind from the current order of things is whether a recurrent global pandemic is in the cards right now as the world still is recovering from the familiar relic that holds a very firm and distressing place in the not-so-distant collective memory of the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic shook the foundations of modern society as we know it. From economic recession to logistic backlogs to deafening inflation and the collapse of the global healthcare system, COVID-19 highlighted the many shortcomings of critical infrastructures and relief management.
Moreover, with two bloody wars raging globally, the world simply cannot afford to face new challenges as the continuation of the Israel-Palestine conflict and Russo-Ukrainian war is damaging enough for global growth and development.
For this reason, this article will holistically analyze the developing situation while symptomatically describing the variant for self-diagnosis and treatment.
Latest on the New Variant
According to recent WHO reports, the recently discovered omicron subvariant EG.5 or Eris is a “virus of interest” and is presently under close monitoring. The organization has also classified it as a potential threat due to its high contagiousness.
As of today, WHO has received positive confirmations of the viral mutation from around 51 countries.
The list includes the US, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the UK, France, Portugal, and Spain. Shockingly the number is only second to COVID-19, with ERIS leading the race in the number of countries affected as well as the transmission rate among all variants and subvariants combined.
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The Post-Pandemic World Order
Just when the world was settling down from the recent shockwaves that shook the foundations of every nation across the globe, another variant started making headlines and putting pressure on the authorities to curb the much-needed freedom again after a long and hard fight.
From the global economy and local administration to health systems and mortuaries every single public and private institution simply collapsed under the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economies crashed and proud nations begged for help to save their people from an extraordinary calamity.
If you look at it holistically, the post-pandemic era is just as notorious as the pandemic itself. People around the globe are still suffering at the hands of skyrocketing inflation, massive unemployment, and a stifling food shortage.
Much of this is to be blamed on supply chain shortages and the economic downturn that started with the pandemic and continues to move upwards and onwards with the Russia-Ukraine War realigning the world order.
Is the World Ready for Another Pandemic?
The combined plight in all its shades brought the world to its knees in a matter of 3 years with the official end announced just recently in May 2024 by the World Health Organization, bringing a much-needed breath of fresh air to both grief-stricken families and communities as well as recovering businesses and economies.
Now, with the resurgence of another highly contagious viral mutation, the world looks at the authorities to not clamp the wheels of the world again. COVID hit the world like a thundering train with no answer at hand to remedy the situation. However, the situation, awareness, and resources now are dramatically different than the last event.
With the rapid development and mobilization of effective emergency resources for good, bad, or worse the world has certainly learned from its mistakes. Today, the key to it all lies in strengthening the chain of outbreak response.
We’re cruising through the first step by early detection of new variants and extenuating their impact. The second step involves the rapid production of targeted vaccines or an all-encompassing vaccine is an area that still requires a lot of work.
What Can be Realistically Expected from the New Mutation?
Realistically speaking, the new variant is not as dangerous as its predecessor. Nevertheless, it still poses a significant threat as it is easily transferable. It is more dangerous for the elderly population that are either suffering from a degenerative disease or have compromised immune systems.
All in all, whatever scope the current outbreak develops, governments across the globe should collectively acknowledge that the blowout of respiratory pathogens is simply inevitable.
Instead of imposing a curfew or a travel ban, governments should focus on the mass production and rollout of vaccines, so a reasonable amount of immunity can be developed for the deadliest of viruses.
For your convenience, we have compiled a list of symptoms for self-assessment of the new variant.
Symptoms
The symptoms remain the same as any COVID variant, however, the first three are most common for this specific variant.
- Sore Throat
- Runny Nose
- Blocked Nose
- Sneezing
- Dry Cough
- Headache
- Wet Cough
- Hoarse Voice
- Muscle Aches
- Altered Smell
How can you check the symptoms at home?
A simple temperature test would be enough to tell the difference between either an influenza virus (common flu) or Eris as traditional symptoms are now less common due to the evolution of the virus into new permutations.
If the body temperature is higher than 100.4F then the virus is most likely Flu and if the symptoms only last for a week. However, it would be best to get a COVID test done to know for sure.
Conclusion
If the world collectively pushes the right resources at the right time, no pandemic is difficult enough to handle.