Spread of New COVID Variant in the U.S.; Iranian Health Ministry: 'Eris' Not Observed in the Country

The new COVID-19 variant, referred to by some as 'Eris', has become dominant in the U.S. While the rate of infections and hospitalizations has increased, some experts have warned that 'Eris' may not be the sole reason for the recent rise in cases. In fact, a direct correlation between Eris and the new wave cannot yet be concluded, and it is unclear when this wave will peak. What is clear is that Eris includes genetic mutations that provide it with advantages for greater spread and better evasion of the immune system. The average weekly hospitalization rate in the U.S. is currently 9,000, which has not yet reached the early days of the pandemic, and the number of new hospitalizations is significantly lower than last summer when between 35,000 to 45,000 were hospitalized weekly in July and August. This new variant, scientifically named AJ5 and classified under Omicron, has been reported in at least 51 countries since last week, and the World Health Organization is closely monitoring it as a 'notable' variant. Eris descends from a group of coronavirus variants labeled 'XBB', which emerged in late 2021. Although the spread of 'Eris' is rapid, it does not appear to be more dangerous than others, with symptoms similar to those caused by other variants, including runny nose, headache, fatigue, sore throat, and sneezing. Doctors say that older individuals, those with weakened immune systems, or those with multiple other illnesses are at greater risk for severe complications from this variant. In the U.S. and many other countries, due to vaccination and previous infections, a large portion of the population has broad protection against severe symptoms, and access to treatments like Pfizer's antiviral drug Paxlovid can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death if taken early. In Iran, the Health Ministry has stated that the 'Eris' variant has not yet been observed in the country. The Deputy Health Minister said, 'We conduct daily sampling in various provinces to predict new waves, and we have not had a new variant in Iran for the past three to four weeks.' This claim has been met with skepticism from doctors and health experts due to the history of mismanagement of COVID-19 in Iran. Recently, the Washington Post reported, citing evidence from medical centers in Iran, that the Islamic Republic acted 'slowly and belatedly' in warning the public about COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic. Even the head of the Civil Defense Organization acknowledged the delay in announcing the arrival of COVID-19 in the country, stating, 'We discovered COVID-19 when we had several deaths.' Gholamreza Jalali said this indicates that 'our health monitoring system is on leave.' Regarding access to vaccines and treatments, Iran has fallen behind other countries due to the ban on mRNA vaccines imposed by Ali Khamenei and the prohibition of importing Pfizer's medication, which has proven effective in multiple studies. Currently, health officials and drug manufacturers in the U.S. have been working since June to produce vaccines that also cover serious Omicron subvariants, including 'Eris'. It is expected that the general public will be able to receive updated vaccines starting this fall. Many countries worldwide are using new bivalent vaccines based on 'mRNA' to combat it, but Mostafa Qanei, a member of the National Coronavirus Vaccine Committee in Iran, recently stated that 'there is no need to create a new vaccine for every virus mutation.' Previously, Younes Panahi, Deputy for Research and Technology at the Health Ministry of Iran, said that Iran, like other countries, is using 'available vaccines.' Meanwhile, the only vaccine available in Iran to combat Omicron is 'Barakat Plus', a vaccine for which only two preliminary articles have been published. The Barakat vaccine, which received approval in June 2021, still does not have the phase three clinical trial article available. Instead of importing effective vaccines and medications, the Iranian government has focused on producing domestic vaccines. Initially, some health officials cited the 'newness' of mRNA technology as a reason for banning these vaccines, claiming that people are not 'guinea pigs', but the Islamic Republic eventually began developing a vaccine using similar technology. Now, nearly two months after the completion of the first phase of clinical trials for the mRNA-based COVID vaccine Koronapsin, the status of the second and third phases of clinical trials for this vaccine remains uncertain. Mohammad Reza Salehi, the principal investigator of the Koronapsin clinical trials, states that decisions regarding the second and third phases of the Koronapsin clinical trials have not yet been finalized.