What to Know About ‘Eris,’ the Latest COVID Variant

Reduce your risk of illness — and more variants

With Eris in the news and COVID-19 cases on the rise, experts say it’s a good reminder that the virus has not gone away — and in fact, Lawrence predicts we’ll see even more activity as we head into the fall and winter months, when respiratory viruses tend to circulate at higher levels. But there are things you can do to lower your odds of getting sick from COVID-19.

“We have a lot of experience that masking is effective,” says Graham Snyder, M.D., an associate professor of infectious diseases at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at UPMC. “So if you are vulnerable because of a weak immune system or medical conditions, masking is still a way to keep yourself protected from being exposed to the virus in the first place.”

Avoiding large crowds indoors can also reduce your risk of infection. And don’t forget to test yourself if you’re feeling sick. “I still think it's important if you have a respiratory infection not to necessarily just write it off as a head cold,” says Snyder, who adds that COVID symptoms caused by Eris seem to be in line with previous omicron strains.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you may be eligible for an oral treatment, like Paxlovid, that can significantly lessen the severity of the illness and reduce your risk of hospitalization. “I strongly recommend that anybody over 60, 65 who has COVID gets treated,” says Lawrence, who adds that Paxlovid and a similar pill called molnupiravir are still effective against the latest coronavirus variants, including Eris.

Most important, however, is to get vaccinated and to stay up to date on your shots. Everyone 6 months and older is eligible for a bivalent booster; adults 65 and older can go back for a second shot. A new vaccine that better targets the strains of omicron currently circulating will be available in the fall, health officials say. “And that’s something that honestly everybody should get,” Lawrence says, stressing its importance for people 50 and older.

Curious if you should boost now, with cases picking up, or wait for the new shot? Both Lawrence and Snyder say talk to your doctor about the best choice for your health status.

Not only will these measures help protect you, but some of them can help cut down on the overall transmission of the virus, which can help prevent more — and potentially more dangerous — variants from popping up in the future.

“The more [the virus] circulates, the more opportunity that it has to change,” the WHO’s Van Kerkhove says. “What our worry is, is that we could potentially see new variants that could be more severe and that’s something we have to keep an eye out for because we need to be keeping people well protected. With good surveillance, with good clinical care, with high levels of boosting, of vaccination among people who are most at risk, we can keep that impact low.”

Editor's note: This story, first published Aug. 10, 2023, has been updated to include new information.