A new Covid variant that could be 'more infectious' than previous strains has been identified in the UK.
Cases of the Arcturus strain have soared in India, with some states forced to reintroduce mask-wearing in public spaces as a result. The variant has now been confirmed as present in the UK, USA, Australia and Singapore.
According to the latest research, Arcturus could be 1.2 times more infectious than the most recent significant sub-variant of coronavirus, reports BelfastLive.
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Along with the usual Covid symptoms of fever and coughs, infected people in India have also reported suffering from "itchy" conjunctivitis or pinkeye.
The World Health Organisation is also focusing its attention on the new Omicron variant XBB.1.16. The variant was first detected in January and the WHO is monitoring its spread, saying some mutations are of concern.
Arcturus is a subvariant of Omicron and has not yet been linked to any deaths. The WHO has said that Arcturus is spreading across India. It has been found in 22 countries so far.
Dr Connor Bamford, from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen's University Belfast, spoke to BelfastLive about the new variant and it's potential impact.
He said: "Arcturus is a name that some people have given to the last variant of SARS-CoV-2 (that causes COVID19). The scientific name is XBB.1.16 and it is a mix of two Omicron variants that were previously circulating."
XBB1.16 is closely related to XBB1.5, which is the currently dominating variant in parts of the UK. XBB1.16 is currently driving a wave in other countries like India, according to Dr Bamford.
"It's symptoms are likely mostly similar to before with most people exhibiting mild cold-like symptoms but with the capacity to cause severe lung infection in vulnerable people," he added.
"There is also the very real risk of Long Covid. For XBB.1.16, some have noted conjunctivitis (sticky, crusty eyes) in kids."
However, he said it was 'unlikely but not impossible' that we’ll see very large waves like we saw with Alpha or Omicron at Christmas 2020 and 2021.
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