Here's what you need to know about the new Omicron variant in Waterloo Region

The newest strain of COVID-19, EG.5, is emerging and health officials in and around Waterloo Region are keeping a close eye on it.

The newest strain of COVID-19, EG.5, is emerging and health officials in and around Waterloo Region are keeping a close eye on it.

“EG.5 is just another one of these variations of Omicron that is now becoming more common in parts of the world including Canada and Ontario,” Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, associate medical health officer with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, said.

The strain has been detected in the U.K., South Korea and the U.S., and officials say it’s now in Ontario.

“In terms of what we are getting, we don’t see [that] it’s more severe than the rest of the Omicron variants,” Zahid Butt, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Public Health Sciences, said.

“It has nearly the same symptoms as the previous COVID-19 variants such as a runny nose, fatigue, fever and chills.”

The most recent COVID-19 report from the Region of Waterloo shows a steady decline in virus related hospitalizations over the past 90 days.

Experts say it’s too early to tell if EG.5 will create major pressure on local hospitals, but Butt said he doesn’t expect it to.