April 24, 2023 – The new subvariant XBB.1.16 of COVID-19 is advancing so fast around the world that the World Health Organization has officially added the strain to its list of “variants of interest”.
Although it does not have an official name, XBB.1.16 is known as “Arcturus”. It has grown exponentially since it appeared in India in January, now accounting for 4.2% of global cases and 9.6% of cases. cases in the united states. The CDC has not issued an official watch list designation for Arcturus.
The latest from the WHO summary highlighted the “immunological escape characteristics” of XBB.1.16, predicting that it will continue to be responsible for more and more cases. However, “there is no early sign of an increase in severity,” the WHO concluded.
Anecdotal reports from medical professionals indicate that Arcturus can cause symptoms of conjunctivitis in some cases, even in children.
Both the CDC and WHO reported late last week that COVID metrics continued to decline. But the WHO warned that the overall numbers do not provide an accurate picture of the state of COVID in the world.
“Contrary to the general trend, significant increases in reported cases and deaths continued to be observed in the Southeast Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions and in several individual countries elsewhere,” the WHO report said.
Cases in the WHO South East Region increased by 654%, and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region increased by 96%. Deaths are also increasing. The WHO Southeast region includes India, Nepal, Korea and eight other countries. The Eastern Mediterranean region includes Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, and 18 other countries.
Globally and also in the United States, the predominant strain remains XBB.1.5. The WHO says it accounts for 51% of cases globally, and the CDC attributes it to 79% of cases in the US. XBB.1.5 has been the most common strain in the US through all of 2023.
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