Arcturus Or The XBB.1.16 Variant: Is The New Covid-19 Variant More Dangerous?

India has logged 11,692 fresh covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours. A sharp increase in daily cases has been observed in the country over the past few weeks. According to the Health Ministry data, there are currently 66,170 active covid-19 cases in the country. India's daily positivity rate remains at 5.09 per cent. The new Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.16 is driving the latest surge in cases in the country. The World Health Organisation has kept this variant under monitoring. According to reports, this variant has been detected in 29 countries so far. It is also known as Arcturus. Here's what we know about this variant.

Arcturus or XBB.1.16 variant: Is it more dangerous?

Arcturus was first detected in January. It is an Omicron sub-variant which can spread easily. The World Health Organization has stated that the XB.1.16 variant is similar to XBB.1.5 variant but has an additional mutation. Therefore, it can spread quickly but may not lead to anything severe.

In India, Arcturus has replaced other variants, as per a WHO report. It is spreading quickly in the country but the rate of hospitalization remains low. The variant leads to mild symptoms and no severe complications have been noticed so far.

What are the symptoms of Arcturus or the XBB.1.16 variant?

Some of the common symptoms observed so far include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Abdominal issues
• Cough

Recently, a new symptom has been added to the list which is being reported in children specifically. Experts have highlighted that many patients have reposted itchy eyes, conjunctivitis and pink eye (without pus). These eye-related symptoms were not seen in the previous waves.

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