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.
3. Increased in last 10 days in India
As per the data, active COVID cases in Uttar Pradesh have tripled in the last 10 days. The latest government data shows that the number of districts with a weekly test positive rate (TPR) of 10 percent or more increased to 32 across 14 states and UTs, a 3.5-fold rise in two weeks.
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.
4. Already spreads to 12 countries
Apart from India, the new variant has also been found in 12 other countries, including Singapore.
"There is a new variant replacing the old one but so far, there is not much improvement in severe cases," said Dr. Anurag Agrawal, former director of the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB).
5. Not found in Jakarta yet
The DKI Jakarta Health Office ensures that the COVID-19 Arcturus variant or XBB 1.16 has not been found in Jakarta.
"No XBB 1.16 or Arcturus variant has been found in DKI Jakarta. The variant caused an increase in cases in India. From the results of the routine genome sequencing examination, XBB 1.16 has not been found," said the Head of the Surveillance and Immunization Section of Jakarta Health Agency, Ngabila Salama.
Salama urged the public not to panic about the Arcturus variant of COVID-19. This is because the condition of COVID-19 in Jakarta in particular is quite well controlled.
"Whatever the variant is, people don't need to panic. Conditions in Jakarta are very controlled even though there is an increase in cases, not accompanied by an increase in deaths and hospitalizations. This is a sign that COVID-19 is under control," Salama stated.
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