‘Arcturus,’ a COVID variant sweeping India, is now in the U.S., the CDC says—and it's coming in hot. What it means for the future of the pandemic

(Credit: Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

A new Omicron spawn fueling a surge of cases in India—considered the most transmissible COVID variant yet—has reached reportable levels in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

And it’s coming in hot. XBB.1.16, dubbed “Arcturus” by variant trackers, is estimated to be behind 7% of COVID cases in the country this week, according to the CDC’s Nowcast, a viral forecast released each Friday by the national public health agency. The variant doesn’t look to cause more severe disease, according to a COVID situation report released Thursday by the World Health Organization.