A new Covid variant which has been the 'driving force' of new cases in India has been found in the UK. Dubbed Arcturus but also known as XBB.1.16, it is a strain of the Omicron subvariant of the virus.
It has reportedly caused a surge of infections in India, forcing the country to bring back some of its face mask laws and run drills in its hospitals. Now, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that it is present in the UK, but that there are under 100 cases.
In India, it is understood the strain is quickly becoming the driving variant, and the country's health ministry even went as far as to launch mock drills this week in an attempt to see if hospitals were prepared to deal with a possible influx of patients, reports the Mirror.
