ERIS, or EG.5.1, is a sub-variant of OMICRON XBB1.9., which has two additional spike mutations.

ERIS caught the attention of WHO due to the rise in cases in the UK and the US.

Hence, it was listed as a variant under monitoring.

Internationally, ERIS was first reported in March 2023.

The first case in India was reported from BJ Medical College, Pune, in May 2023.

To date, this variant has been reported in 39 countries.

The UK Health Security Agency reported that ERIS caused 14.5% of all UK COVID cases.

Currently, this variant is spreading with a weekly growth advantage of 20%.

This situation highlights the need for scaling up the pan-variant COVID-19 vaccines.