The new Arcturus variant of Covid-19 is the subject of a warning from the WHO. Its spread is rapid and leads to the emergence of a hitherto totally unknown symptom, especially in children particularly targeted.
XBB.1.16… No, this is not the name of an update to be performed on your smartphone or computer, but rather that of the new variant of the Covid-19 which worries the World Health Organization (WHO) which has produced an alert bulletin. This new variant, also called Arcturus, has been spreading very rapidly in recent weeks in several regions of the globe. Already on March 22, 2023, the WHO placed it “under surveillance” alerted to this variant.
This one is obviously a sub-line of the Omicron variant now well known but with several mutations making it more transmissible but also more resistant to the various vaccines on the market. If it worries, it is by its spread in India in particular but also because of the particular symptoms caused, including one totally unprecedented since the appearance of Covid-19 at the end of 2019 in China.
Non-purulent but irritating conjunctivitis with “sticky eyes”
The variant circulates in particular in India where specialists have relayed their observations. This is the case of Doctor Vipin Vashishsta which reports an increase in cases in children under 12 with three particular symptoms. The first two are rather common in Covid-19 patients since the emergence of the pandemic: high fever and cough, but the third is completely new since it is conjunctivitis.
XBB.1.16 #Arcturus
For the last 2 days, have started getting pediatric Covid cases once again after a gap of 6 mo! An infantile phenotype seems emergingtreated infants w/ high fever, cold & cough, & non-purulent, itchy conjunctivitis w/ sticky eyes, not seen in earlier waves pic.twitter.com/UTVgrCCLWU
— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) April 6, 2023
On his twitter account, this specialist, member of a committee on vaccines with the WHO, details this new symptom and evokes an “itchy” conjunctivitis, causing a red eye, without flow of pus but causing discomfort with “sticky” eyes . The XBB.1.16 variant, or Arcturus, circulates particularly in India but also in 22 other countries since cases have been identified in Singapore, the United States or the United Kingdom. France is not completely spared but only 10 cases have been officially recorded according to Covid Data Tracker.