Covid Arcturus has been spreading across the UK this year and experts have created a new map which shows where all the hotspots are.
The new variant, also known as Covid XBB.1.16, has rapidly spread globally and has a big case increase in India where they have introduced face mask rules.
The Mirror reports that it has recently been confirmed that five Brits have died due to the Covid Arcturus variant. Up until April 17 there were 120 documented cases of Arcturus, however, this figure has since risen to at least 135 but the true figure is likely much higher.
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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) previously confirmed to the Mirror that it entered the country from abroad, and it is now known to be present in at least 34 countries.
The new map reveals where the cases are in the UK, it is currently found in all but one region. The North East is yet to document a case of the new subvariant.
London is the central hotspot, with 31 documented XBB.1.16 cases. But, the North West of England is not far behind, with 22 cases, followed by the South East with 19.
The Midlands retains relatively low prevalence, with four cases in the East Midlands and six cases in the West Midlands. Yorkshire and the Humber has recorded only one single case of Arcturus, and the South West of England and Gibraltar has three.
Whilst, Wales has documented eight cases, Scotland five and Northern Ireland two.
Arcturus cases across the UK
- London 31
- North West 22
- East of England 10
- South East 19
- Wales 8
- West Midlands 6
- Scotland 5
- East Midlands 4
- South West 3
- Northern Ireland 2
- Yorkshire & the Humber 1
- North East 0
- Unknown 9
As things stand, there is no evidence to suggest that the new subvariant is deadlier than past ones.
The UKHSA has said that despite low case numbers, there is some early evidence suggesting the subvariant is more contagious than past ones but cautioned sample sizes were low. From April 3-9, Arcturus is thought to have accounted for 2.3 per cent of Covid sequences in the UK.
Some reports have shown that the new outbreak has seemingly brought on a unique symptom not previously seen in Covid strains. Reports from doctors in India have said they are seeing more children and adolescents with the subvariant presenting with conjunctivitis - or pink eye.
Indian paediatrician Vipn M. Vashishtha, also a member of the WHO's Vaccine Safety Net programme, said youngsters were presenting with a high fever, cold and cough, and "itchy conjunctivitis" with "sticky eyes".
"Yes, it's true that there seems to be a rise in conjunctivitis in children in India, with a certain type of conjunctivitis associated with viral infections," Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor in virology at the University of Leeds told The Mirror.
However, he added: "I think there needs to be more studies based on that, but certainly observationally it seems to be happening."
Dr Michael Chang, a paediatric infections diseases expert at UTHealth Houston and Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, told Yagoo News there wasn't enough evidence to prove the new Covid subvariant was causing conjunctivitis.
"We don't have the context of whether they're seeing that in some of the regions in India," he said.
He added: "We know their Covid cases are going up, and presumably, these kids are testing positive for Covid, but we don't know if they're testing positive for anything else either."
After being first detected in January, Arcturus cases began to take off globally in February with around 4,000 documented sequences mainly in India (2,271), USA (446), Singapore (247), Australia (160) and Canada (94).
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