New Covid-19 Variant ‘Arcturus’ Emerges In India, WHO Closely Monitoring Spread

New Covid-19 Variant ‘Arcturus’ Spreads Among Patients In India, Under Close Scrutiny

A new Covid-19 variant called ‘Arcturus’ has been affecting an increasing number of patients in India lately.

Apparently a recombinant of two descendants of another Omicron variant, the health ministry has started conducting mock drills to gauge if hospitals can deal with a possible spike in cases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is also monitoring the situation closely.

New Covid-19 variant ‘Arcturus’ reported in India

According to The Independent, cases of ‘Arcturus’, or the Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16 strain, caused Covid-19 infections to increase 13-fold in the past month.

As a result, India’s health ministry has launched mock drills to gauge the preparedness of hospitals in dealing with a likely spike in patients.

Source: The Independent

A few states have also made wearing face masks in public compulsory — the first time in over a year.

This week, the number of infections in India increased by 3,122 in a single day, in addition to 40,215 active Covid infections on Wednesday (12 Apr).

Former convenor of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Vipin M Vashishtha, first coined the term ‘Arcturus’ in a tweet on 18 Mar.

Source: Vipin M Vashishtha on Twitter

Warning about the new variant, he urged the public to remain aware of its onslaught.

Cases related to this variant have reportedly been rising in other countries such as the United States, Singapore, and Australia, NDTV reports.

‘Arcturus’ spreads faster than other related variants

A recombinant of two descendants of Omicron variant BA.2, a study by the University of Tokyo suggests it spreads 1.17 to 1.27 times more efficiently than related variants XBB.1 and XBB.1.5.

Towards the end of March, WHO added ‘Arcturus’ to its list of variants under close monitoring.

The organisation’s Covid technical lead, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, said, “It’s been in circulation for a few months.”

She added that thus far, a change in severity in individuals or in populations has not been observed.

However, there are concerns about mutations in the variant. Dr Van Kerkhove stated:

It has one additional mutation in the spike protein which in lab studies shows increased infectivity as well as potential increased pathogenicity.

Speaking to The Independent, Virologist Professor Lawrence Young from the University of Warwick said ‘Arcturus’ is a sign that “we’re not yet out of the woods”.

“We have to keep an eye on it,” he emphasised.

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Featured image adapted from Mufid Majnun on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only.