‘New vaccines should arrive in Türkiye’ to combat Eris

ANKARA

As the vaccines developed for the previous variants of COVID-19 have limited protectiveness against EG.5, a new coronavirus subvariant unofficially nicknamed Eris, new booster shots should be introduced in Türkiye, an expert has warned.

“Vaccines remain the most effective method against COVID-19. However, the virus has undergone such significant changes that the efficacy of the initially developed vaccines against the current mutated variants, such as the Eris variant, has greatly diminished. New vaccines have been developed worldwide, with the latest vaccine receiving approval for use in North America and Europe starting from September,” said Alpay Azap, a faculty member in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology at Ankara University's Faculty of Medicine.

"The XBB.1.5 vaccine should arrive in our country as soon as possible. This vaccine is highly protective against the Eris variant. High disease risk groups in our country need this vaccine," Azap said.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Sept. 15 announced that the Eris subvariant was detected in nine individuals in the country.

Addressing the allegations about the return of lockdowns or mask mandates, Azap explained that the pandemic has not "returned" but has instead evolved with changing variants, becoming less dangerous as expected.

"We were expecting COVID-19 to become an endemic disease within a few years, meaning it would become a part of our lives with periods of increasing and decreasing case numbers. In fact, the current situation aligns precisely with that expectation. Since it is a respiratory virus transmitted via droplets in air, it has transformed into a respiratory tract infection with higher case numbers during the winter and fewer cases during the summer."

"Therefore, there is no need for panic. We do not anticipate a return to the restrictions and lockdowns that characterized the pandemic period. The disease is not causing severe illness. It has essentially become an upper respiratory tract infection, much like the common cold and flu. This was expected, so there is no need for restrictions and lockdowns," he added.