The HSE has confirmed a new Covid variant has been detected in Ireland.
Eris – which is a descendant of Omicron – has become established in the UK and the US.
The HSE says Eris is “more transmissible than previous circulating variants and has been associated with outbreaks, including in hospitals, in Ireland and elsewhere”.
It adds “there is currently no evidence of increased clinical severity of infection but people are still advised to follow COVID-19 prevention measures”.
A rise in cases internationally is being driven by several factors, including greater indoor mixing, increased international travel and waning immunity.
The World Health Organization has not designated EG.5 as a variant of concern or a variant of interest, but the lesser rating as a variant under monitoring.
As of this morning, there were 408 people in hospital with Covid-19, 13 of whom were in intensive care units.
Since the pandemic, there have been over 1.7 million confirmed cases here and 9,125 deaths.
