SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The number of active COVID-19 cases in Baja California has more than doubled during the last week, and health officials blame the newly discovered ERIS variant.

State Secretary of Health Adrian Medina Amarillas Medina Amarillas said they’ve gone from 125 cases to a little more than 300.

The World Health Organization is reporting that this new strain is accounting for a growing share of cases in countries including China, United States, Portugal, Spain and the U.K.

It says the official name of the variant is EG.5.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EG.5 is now the dominant strain in the U.S., accounting for more than 17 percent of COVID-19 cases.

The WHO says EG.5 is no more or less dangerous than other strains such as Omicron or Delta.

In Baja California, Medina Amarillas told members of the media the state had not had any hospitalizations or deaths due to COVID-19 in the last three months, but fears this could soon change with the new strain making the rounds.

“If these cases keep rising, we might have to go back to the sanitary protocols instituted at the height of the pandemic including the use of face covers,” he said.

Medina Amarillas also stated that for the time being, there are no plans for public vaccination campaigns in cities like Tijuana, which is home to 80 percent of the active cases in the state.

He suggested for those who want COVID-19 booster shots, they have vaccines available.