Five cases of the new Arcturus strain of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Scotland, with five people confirmed as having died in the UK while carrying the new strain of coronavirus, according to UK health officials.
The new variant, an off-shoot of the Omicron variant of the disease, is spreading across the world. According to a new report from the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), the variant is now making its way across the UK, The Mirror reports.
The five deaths are cases in which the people who have died were found to have the new strain. Other underlying conditions that may have played a part in their deaths have not been specified in the report.
The latest technical briefing from the UKHSA says there were at least 135 cases of Arcturus, officially labelled Omicron XBB.1.16, across all four UK nations. In Scotland, five cases of the new strain have been detected as of April 17.
There are 120 cases in England, eight in Wales and two in Northern Ireland. Around a quarter of the English cases, 31, were reported among people aged 60 and above – but officials have cautioned that the data is based almost entirely on PCR tests carried out in hospitals after community testing ended last year.
The vast majority of Arcturus cases have been detected in India, where 2,115 cases have been reported, while hundreds have been identified in the USA, Singapore and the USA. The five UK deaths were all reported in England, according to the report.
UKHSA officials noted in the paper that the Arcturus variant was at a "low prevalence" in the UK. However, they have warned that there was "early evidence of "growth advantage", suggesting it could yet spread further.
The officials added: "There are insufficient data to comment on severity. Based on the available epidemiological and laboratory data, it is unclear whether this growth will be replicated in the population immunity landscape of the UK."
Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director, UKHSA said: “It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge. UKHSA continues to analyse all available data relating to SARS-CoV-2 variants in the UK and abroad and is monitoring the situation closely.
"XBB.1.16 currently accounted for 2.3% of UK sequences between 3 April and 9 April. It is not currently designated a variant of concern.
“Vaccination remains our best defence against future COVID-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible.”
The symptoms of Arcturus-variant Covid are believed to include the typical symptoms of coughs, high fevers and cold-like indicators. However, some doctors in India – where face mask use has been reintroduced – have reported children experiencing conjunctivitis-like symptoms of reddening eyes and sticky discharge.
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