Arcturus COVID-19 Widespread in Some Countries: Here are the Facts
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VIVA – The Covid-19 pandemic cannot be said to be over because there are still several countries still infected with this virus. Currently, there is a new variant of COVID-19, namely the Omicron XBB 1.16 Subvariant, aka the 'Arcturus' variant.
This variant has been found in several countries. Apart from India, this variant was detected in Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, and many more.
According to experts, a new variant of COVID XBB.1.16 is the cause of concern for the sudden spike in the number of cases. This was revealed by the former chairman of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and consultant pediatrician at Mangla Hospital and Research Centre, Bijnor, Vipin M Vashishtha, in a tweet on Twitter.
"XBB.1.16 has a 140% growth advantage over XBB.1.5. It is much more aggressive than XBB.1.5. And probably faster than XBB.1.9," Vashishtha wrote.
So, here are some facts about this new variant, as reported by various sources.
1. How dangerous is it
Vashishtha shared that according to the UK Health Security Agency, XBB.1.16 is a lineage with 3 additional spike mutations (E180V, K478R, and S486P).
“All eyes should be on India! If XBB.1.16 or #Arcturus could succeed to wade through the 'sturdy' population immunity of Indians that successfully resisted the onslaught of variants like BA.2.75, BA.5, BQs, XBB.1.5, then the whole world must be seriously worried!!," Vashishtha stated in the Twitter thread.
2. The symptoms of this variant
Meanwhile, according to doctors, COVID patients are showing a similar set of symptoms as during the third wave of the pandemic in India between January and March last year. Common symptoms of this new variant include fever, sore throat, cold, headache, body aches, and fatigue.
It could also impact the digestive system. Even with the rise in the number of cases, hospitals across the country are not getting a rush of COVID patients and overall hospitalization remains low. There is little evidence of any severity associated with the new, highly transmissible variant, according to research.
