Experts have pointed out that a new Covid variant, dubbed Arcturus, is driving a surge of fresh cases in India and seems to have some unique symptoms in children.
The sub-variant of Omicron known as XBB.1.16 has surfaced in 22 countries, including Singapore, Australia, the UK, and the US.
Experts suspect that it is behind the surge of infections in India, prompting the government to implement fresh measures to curb its transmission, such as reintroducing mask mandates and conducting hospital simulations.
According to the health ministry, India reported 7,830 new Covid cases on Wednesday, marking the highest number since September and a 13-fold increase.
The active caseload has also surged to 40,215, raising concerns among experts about the spread of the strain, which was initially identified in late January.
The main concern is the variant’s ability to cause unique symptoms in children, including conjunctivitis.
Dr. Vipin Vashishtha, a former head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunisation and a pediatrician, has tweeted that a new “infantile phenotype” of the variant appears to be developing.
According to Dr. Vashishtha, the symptoms of this variant include high fever, cough, and conjunctivitis that causes itching or discomfort. He shared this information with the Hindustan Times newspaper.
Richard Reithinger, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the nonprofit research institute RTI International, has been quoted by Fortune as saying that conjunctivitis, an eye infection that causes redness, itchiness, and swelling in the eyes, has been reported as a symptom of Covid, but it is not very common.
Is Arcturus Dangerous?
The ‘Arcturus’ Covid variant contains mutations on its spike protein that the World Health Organization warns could enhance its infectivity and disease-causing potential.
According to Japanese researchers, it could be 1.2 times more contagious than the already highly transmissible Kraken strain.
Nevertheless, there is currently no evidence indicating that it causes more severe illness. However, the surge in cases due to this variant could potentially strain healthcare services.
Preliminary findings indicate that ‘Arcturus’ is not more capable of evading vaccine-induced immunity compared to other spin-offs of the Omicron variant.
As a result, it is unlikely to add significant strain on the struggling National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.
However, Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist from the University of Warwick, has urged vigilance, emphasizing the need for continued genomic surveillance.
He highlighted the risks of countries letting their guard down and being caught off guard by unknown variants and their potential outbreaks.
Despite this, the UK government has maintained that it will not reintroduce pandemic-era measures unless there is an emergence of a catastrophic variant.
Leading experts believe that ‘Arcturus’ is unlikely to be more lethal than other circulating strains, which already cause a mild illness similar to the flu.