Once again, it’s that time of year when illness is common and a fresh strain of COVID-19 makes a fierce comeback.
This one is the “great-great grandchild” of the omicron form, according to the AARP, and it accounts for about 25% of all Covid cases in the United States at the moment. The summer variant, Eris or EG.5, is followed immediately by the new version, HV.1.
Your recent booster doses are still effective since HV.1 is sufficiently similar to XBB1.5, another COVID variation that was the target of the most recent dosage of vaccinations. Nonetheless, the Centers for Disease Control continues to keep a careful eye on outbreaks because this variant is thought to be more contagious.
The symptoms are similar and include headaches, fever, aches in the muscles, exhaustion, coughing, and lack of breath. None of the other strains are thought to be gentler than this latest one.