The number of Georgians hospitalized with COVID-19 rose more than 30% between June and July. That’s higher than the national average.
COVID has not gone away, and increasing gatherings, travel, and the return to school are all driving up cases, public health officials say.
The new variant, EG.5, nicknamed “Eris,” is the dominant COVID variant spreading in the U.S. It is responsible for about 17% of new COVID cases in the country and about 16% of new cases in Georgia.
“Early data indicates Eris may be more easily transmissible than some other variants, but it does not appear to cause more severe disease,” a news release from the Georgia Department of Health states.
Dr. Carlos del Rio with Emory University says the recent rise in cases is not of huge concern. That’s because a high percentage of Georgians have immunity following vaccines or having had the disease.
“Yeah, there’s an increase in hospitalizations, but hospitals are not overwhelmed with patients with COVID. And we’re seeing, you know, some mortality. But again, it’s not the mortality we were seeing before,” says Dr. Del Rio.
He says older people should be up to date on immunizations, and they may want to wear a mask and avoid crowded places.
The CDC says the current COVID vaccine is effective against Eris, and COVID tests pick up Eris infections.
GPB News’ Ellen Eldridge contributed to this report
