By Isabel Shaw
FIVE Brits have died after catching the new Arcturus Covid strain, fresh data suggests.
The Omicron-spin off, which is considered to be the most infectious version of the disease yet, is ravaging parts of India.
In some parts of the country, ministers have reintroduced face mask rules in an attempt to quell the spread.
As of April 17, 2023, 105 Arcturus – scientifically known as XBB.1.16 -sequenced cases have been identified in England, with cases located in all regions apart from the North East.
And of those five people have died, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed – all of the patients had underlying health issues.
So far, Arcturus has been detected in 20 additional countries, including the US.
Scientists studying the new strain of the bug believe it’s better than it’s predecessors at evading immune protection from vaccination or previous infection.
Japanese researchers have suggested it is 1.2 times more infectious than the already super transmissible strain, Kraken.
But there is no evidence to suggest the disease has increased in severity.
Prof Francois Balloux, the director of the UCL Genetics Institute, said: “In places that didn’t have an XBB.1.5 wave (e.g. India or China), it is expected to do well (as did XBB.1.5).
“Conversely, in places like the UK, it is not expected to have much of an impact on case numbers, and even less so, on hospitalisations and deaths.”
He added: “XBB.1.16 is still at low frequency here in the UK, but it may become the next dominant variant in the future.”
Data shows the new strain makes up roughly 2.3 per cent of all new cases.
Officials at the Government health agency expect that one of the strains will become dominant in the coming weeks, they said.
“However, XBB.1.16 sample numbers are very low, and results may change as further data becomes available,” they noted.
Last week The World Health Organisation (WHO) upgraded XBB.1.16 to a “variant of interest”.
What are its symptoms?
Omicron typically causes a collection of cold or flu-like symptoms, such as:
runny nose
headache
fatigue (mild or severe)
sneezing
sore throat
But Dr Vipin Vashishtha – a paediatrician and former head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunisation – said the spread of Arcturus in India was bringing with it a new symptom that hadn’t been present in earlier waves.
He said symptoms affecting the eyes were seeing a sudden surge in children.
The doctor said he was treating increasing numbers of infants with fever, cough and cold symptoms, and conjunctivitis causing ‘itchy’ and ‘sticky’ eyes.
However, there is currently no hard evidence to prove whether Arcturus is driving this new range of symptoms in children.
Will vaccine work against it?
Early research suggests there is no need to be concerned about the a Arcturus.
The mammoth rollout of vaccines across the UK means many already have some level of protection from the bug.
And even though the variant is causing infections in people who have been vaccinated, it doesn’t mean its capable of causing severe illness.
