Appearance of COVID-19 Eris variant in Türkiye no cause for concern: Health minister

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Though a handful of Turkish citizens have been diagnosed with the Eris variant of COVID-19, there is no cause for concern, the Turkish health minister said.

"The Eris variant, which we know has low virulence, was detected in nine people" (in Türkiye), Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"They are contacts from abroad and located in the same province. We will continue with our current measures and daily lives," Koca added.

"Other countries are going through similar circumstances, and it was expected that the variant would emerge in our country as well," he said. "We will protect our elders and chronically ill patients."

The variant has been categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “variant of interest,” meaning that countries should monitor it more closely than other strains as it could be more contagious or severe.

Countries have had high rates of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the last three months, and there are signs that the virus may spread further.

Last week, the WHO chief said that the UN health body continues to see "concerning trends" for COVID-19 ahead of winter in the northern hemisphere.