A girl being vaccinated against Covid-19 in Kuwait last year. AFP
A girl being vaccinated against Covid-19 in Kuwait last year. AFP
A girl being vaccinated against Covid-19 in Kuwait last year. AFP
A girl being vaccinated against Covid-19 in Kuwait last year. AFP

Kuwait detects new Eris strain of Covid-19


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

Health authorities in Kuwait have confirmed that the latest strain of Covid-19 has been detected in the country.

The Eg.5 subvariant of Omicron has been rapidly spreading through the US and UK since May and while health risk is considered low, it is spreading quickly and is likely to fuel a larger wave of infections.

The Ministry of Health in Kuwait issued a social media post on Wednesday to say the variant had been detected in the country, but reassured citizens there was no need to be concerned.

As a precautionary measure, the ministry advised those with symptoms to isolate and avoid contact with others to reduce the rate of transmissions.

“The ministry, relying on initial scientific data, noted that there is no evidence indicating that this new variant is more dangerous than previously detected variants,” a statement read.

“However, it highlighted the rapid spread of the variant in certain global regions. Concurrently, the ministry affirmed the stability of health and clinical evaluation indicators within the country.

“The ministry stressed that the emergence of such mutations is anticipated and should not be a cause for alarm.”

Variant of interest

The World Health Organisation declared the Eg.5 mutation as a variant of interest, but said it had not yet displayed signs that it had any new capacities for illness.

So far, it has been reported in 51 countries.

However, those living with existing health conditions, the elderly and pregnant women have been advised to take extra precautions and avoid those displaying cold or flu-like symptoms.

Eris is thought to be responsible for about 14 per cent of new cases in the UK and about 17.3 per cent in the US, according to health authorities and research centres.

Updated booster vaccines to target previous sub-variants of Omicron should continue to offer protection against Eg.5 because of its similar viral properties.

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The Lowdown

Kesari

Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra

 

The biog

Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza

Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine 

France is her favourite country to visit

Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family

Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter

Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country

The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns

Her motto is to never stop working for the country

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Pari

Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Updated: August 16, 2023, 1:11 PM`