The new COVID-19 variant EG.5 is in Ontario. Here's what that means for you

A new COVID-19 variant that’s become the dominant strain in the United States has made its way to Ontario, according to public health officials.

In a report released last month, Public Health Ontario (PHO) said cases of EG.5 – a descendant of the Omicron variant – represented 5.2 per cent of all reported and genetically sequenced infections between July 2 and July 8.

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With a weekly growth rate of 1.90 per cent, PHO said cases of EG.5 (or Eris as it’s being referred to by some) were expected to represent 35 per cent of all infections by August 2, the latest date in which data is available.

So what does the emergence of another COVID-19 variant mean to you? CTV News Toronto spoke with Dr. Fahad Razak, an internal medicine physician and former scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, for some answers.

WHERE DID EG.5.1 COME FROM?

Much like variants that have come before EG.5, Razak said a new version of the virus is not unexpected three-and-a-half years into the pandemic.

“We've seen versions of the virus continue to mutate, and the ones that are able to evade your immune system become the most common version circulating, which makes sense, because those are the ones that can spread between people,” Razak explained.

In the U.S., the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said EG.5 accounted for roughly 17.3 per cent — or one in six — of new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, approximately 14.6 per cent — or one in seven — of all COVID-19 cases are EG.5.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency show EG.5 was first “raised as a signal in monitoring…due to increasing reports internationally, particularly in Asia” on July 3 and declared a variant on July 31 due to “continued growth internationally.”

“Based on the rise we've seen in the U.K. and the U.S., plus the trajectory here in Canada, it’ll probably be the main version of the virus very shortly here as well,” Razak said.

CAN EG.5 CAUSE MORE SEVERE ILLNESS?

As it stands, there’s no evidence to suggest EG.5 can cause more severe illness than previous versions of the virus.

“We're going to keep a close eye on this, but there’s nothing to suggest that this has any particular properties that are worrying. It's just continued evolution of the virus, not unexpected,” Razak said.

WHAT IS WASTEWATER DATA TELLING US?

Wastewater data in the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario appears to show that while viral activity is still very low, aside from an increase in March and April, it has been trending upwards over the last month.

“We're seeing the rise of our wastewater signal here in Ontario for the first time in about nine months. So it's been declining since December. The same thing with the number of tests that are coming back positive. And so it suggests we're starting to see a little bit of a rise here towards the end of the summer,” Razak said.

• READ MORE: A new COVID-19 variant has emerged. Here's what we know about EG.5 so far

Adding to the apparent uptick in infections, Razak noted, are the unique aspects of this summer’s weather, which has included extreme heat and varying degrees of air quality.

“All of this is as expected. And we may be also feeling a little bit of the acceleration of that effect, because of the unusually warm weather and high levels of air pollution which have made people be more indoors than they otherwise would be this time of year,” he said.

COVID-19 wastewater data in Ontario is seen in this chart. (Public Health Ontario)

WILL THINGS GET WORSE IN THE FALL?

Based on what happened in previous years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will likely be a rise in cases as the cooler weather approaches. According to Razak, however, this fall will be different in fighting the spread of infection and keeping Ontario’s health-care system standing due to advancements in immunization.

“As we expect, this fall and winter are going to see the combined effect of the three viruses (COVID-19, RSV, and influenza) once again. And the good news is that we will have a vaccine available for all three for the first time for susceptible adults,” he said.

Last week, Health Canada approved the first RSV vaccine for adults age 60 and over, with a "limited" rollout during this fall's respiratory virus season.

Meanwhile, the newest iteration of the COVID-19 vaccine boosters is targeted at a version of the virus which is “pretty close” to EG.5 and should give adequate protection against illness and further spread, Razak said.

“So really an exciting time for scientific development and to give people a sense that we are progressively putting on more and more protections in place. You just have to go in and get what's available.”

WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?

Much like the advice public health officials have issued since the start of the pandemic, masking, staying home if sick, and good ventilation and air quality in indoor spaces remain the best defence against COVID-19.

“I think it's the common sense approaches we talked about, which at this stage of the pandemic I think are really important for us to try and adopt and use as much as possible,” Razak said.

“Because, clearly at this phase, we're not going to have a huge overwhelming response like we did earlier in the pandemic, and the virus itself doesn't suggest that we necessarily need it.”