Although the pandemic began in 2020, there are still diagnosed cases of the new coronavirus, or what is known as COVID-19. A new variant of this virus has recently appeared, which has been called the Iris variant, which is the most widespread form of the Coronavirus today. [1]

The Iris mutant, or what is scientifically called the EG.5 strain, is one of the descendants of the Omicron virus, which is one of the coronavirus variants that have previously appeared and spread in previous years. [2]

The number of infections with the Iris variant is increasing, as it constitutes 17.3% of diagnosed cases in the United States, after it constituted only 1% of all cases at the end of May and 12% of cases recorded in the first week of August. [1,2]

The EG.5 variant has become a large portion of diagnosed cases in several countries around the world, including China, Britain, and Japan. [2]

The Eris coronavirus variant has the same structure as one of the coronavirus strains called XBB.1.9.2, but it carries an additional mutation in the spike protein, a part of the virus that allows it to enter human cells, and thus can be more transmissible and infectious than other variants. [1,2]

However, there is no information yet to indicate that this new variant of the Coronavirus is more contagious or that it will cause more severe symptoms compared to other recent variants. [1,2]

As for the effectiveness of the Corona vaccine against this new mutant, according to the Center for Disease Control, current vaccines can provide protection against the Iris mutant. [1]

In June of this year, the competent authorities asked vaccine manufacturers, such as Pfizer, Novavax, and Moderna, to create a new formulation for their Covid-19 vaccines, to specifically target the XBB coronavirus variant, including the Iris variant. [2]

According to Mandy Cohen, Director of the Center for Disease Control, these new vaccines will most likely be ready in early October of this year.