New coronavirus variants Eris and Fornax registered in MNE

New coronavirus variants Eris and Fornax have been registered in Montenegro, says the Institute of Public Health.

The Institute has announced in a statement sent to the media that the laboratories of the Molecular Diagnostics Department have confirmed the first cases of infection with sub-variants EG.5.1 and FL1.5.1 (so-called Eris) and FL1.5.1 (so-called Fornax), descendants of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Montenegro has thus joined the list of countries where the occurrence of mutated subvariants of Omicron has been registered.

The Institute points out that in China, the USA, South Korea, Portugal and Spain, there is an increase in the prevalence of EG.5 and it is to be expected, as was the case with previous subvariants of the coronavirus, that it will become dominant in the following period in Montenegro as well.

The Institute stresses that the diagnostic tests, which are used in health institutions, recognize the newly registered coronavirus subvariants well.

Citizens are urged to respect the currently valid health protection measures against the SARS-CoV-2 virus for 7 days from the day of receiving a positive test result.