A new Covid variant dubbed 'Arcturus' has triggered a recent surge in cases of the virus in India.
The Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16 strain has caused cases to increase 13-fold in the country within the last month, leading to face masks being reintroduced as compulsory for vulnerable people in some areas. The Arcturus strain was first detected in late January, and is currently being monitored by the World Health Organisation.
It comes as 40,215 active Covid infections were recorded by India's Ministry of Health on April 12. The ministry ran mock drills this week to check that hospitals are prepared to deal with a possible influx in patients following the rise in cases, and health officials are now urging states to increase testing for the virus, The Mirror reports.
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"We haven't seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations but that's why we have these systems in place," said the WHO's Covid technical lead Dr Maria Van Kerkhove. "It has one additional mutation in the spike protein which in lab studies shows increased infectivity as well as potential increased pathogenicity."
There has been no reported change in the severity of disease among those infected by the variant. Speaking to India Today, paediatrician Dr Rahul Nagpal said that doctors have observed rising cases of Covid in children in the country, with a new symptom reportedly presenting itself in the form of conjunctivitis or 'sticky' eyes alongside the more commonly known signs of the virus.
"Usually, these children come with simple respiratory infections of cough, cold and fever, and when tested they turn out to be positive," Dr Nagpal explained. India Today reported that the main symptoms of Arcturus in adults are flu-like such as a cough, sore throat and nasal discharge, adding that the variant is spreading "very fast" as it repeated advice to wear a mask.
It comes just days after Covid dropped out of the top five leading causes of death in England and Wales for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The virus was recorded as the main cause of death for 22,454 people in 2022, or 3.9% of all deaths registered, making it the sixth leading cause overall.
In comparison, in both 2020 and 2021 Covid was the number one leading cause of death, with 73,766 deaths (12.1% of the total) and 67,350 (11.5%) respectively. Covid levels among the population of England and Wales reached record highs last year, as new variants of the virus saw the estimated number of weekly infections hit 3.9 million in early January and 4.4 million at the end of March.
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