Türkiye said on Friday that nine people in the country have tested positive for the new COVID-19 variant EG. 5, also known as Eris.
"This is a development that should not be considered a subject of concern. The Eris variant, which we know has low virulence, was seen in nine people in the examination carried out in our reference laboratory," Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"They have international contacts and are in the same province. We will continue with the current measures and our daily life," he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the EG. 5 strain of COVID-19 as the "variant of interest" which at this time does not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than other variants.
However, the health watchdog warned that it should be closely watched due to the risk evaluation.
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