A new Covid variant, which has been deemed "more infectious", has just been confirmed in the UK as confirmed cases soar in India.
Arcturus has become the driving variant in India, with some states forced to reintroduce mask-wearing in public spaces as a result.
Along with the usual Covid symptoms of fever and coughs, infected people in India have also reported suffering from "itchy" conjunctivitis or pinkeye.
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The World Health Organisation is also focusing its attention on the new Omicron variant XBB.1.16. The variant was first detected in January and the WHO is monitoring its spread, saying some mutations are of concern.
Arcturus is a subvariant of Omicron and has not yet been linked to any deaths.
The WHO has said that Arcturus is spreading across India. It has been found in 22 countries so far, including the UK, USA, Australia and Singapore.
According to the latest research, Arcturus could be 1.2 times more infectious than the most recent significant sub-variant of coronavirus.
We asked Dr Connor Bamford, from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen's University Belfast, about the new variant and its possible impact.
Here’s what we know so far:
What is the Arcturus variant?
Arcturus is a name that some people have given to the last variant of SARS-CoV-2 (that causes COVID19). The scientific name is XBB.1.16 and it is a mix of two Omicron variants that were previously circulating.
XBB1.16 is closely related to XBB1.5, which is the currently dominating variant in NI and was responsible for our last wave a month or so ago. XBB1.16 is currently driving a wave in other countries like India.
What are its symptoms?
Likely mostly similar to before with most people exhibiting mild cold-like symptoms but with the capacity to cause severe lung infection in vulnerable people. There is also the very real risk of Long Covid. For XBB.1.16, some have noted conjunctivitis (sticky, crusty eyes) in kids.
What is the Covid-19 situation here in Northern Ireland?
As we predicted, Covid-19 is here to stay and has been continuously infecting people in NI since early 2020. Recently we see waves of cases, hospitalisations and deaths associated with new variants every three months or so.
Between waves, Covid-19 does not go away however. It is unlikely but not impossible that we’ll see very large waves like we saw with Alpha or Omicron at Christmas 2020 and 2021.
Should NI's current immunity levels help to minimise the impact of this new variant?
I believe that the current levels of immunity built up from vaccination and infection will help against each new variant even if more infectious, but the vulnerable may need more help (vaccines).
Will the Spring boosters currently being rolled out in NI prove effective?
Current booster vaccines should be helpful against this variant as will previous recent infection. As Covid-19 is not going away, vaccination (including boosters) offers the best protection from infection and disease, especially if vulnerable (such as the elderly).
Is it a case of concern rather than alarm?
This should be a slight concern but what I feel more concerning is that even between waves Covid-19 does not go away and I feel we do not have a strong enough plan in place to safeguard the population across the year.
We need more investment in surveillance of the virus, next-generation vaccines, and better treatments for the vulnerable in the community and in hospital.
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