The new variant of Covid19 Arcturus, also known as XBB.1.16, which was first sequenced in India in January of this year and is now present in almost 40 countries, is circulating in Brazil. The newly discovered strain was detected in the state of São Paulo, according to the Ministry of Health. The strain has been treated as a Variant of Interest (VOI) by the WHO (World Health Organization) since midApril because of its rapid spread in recent weeks.
Although it causes different symptoms compared to previous strains, such as conjunctivitis and high fever, the new strain has not shown the potential to cause new waves of deaths and hospitalizations, or pose more serious health risks to those infected, experts say. And the currently available vaccines can guarantee protection against the newly discovered variant, according to an epidemiologist who was part of the report.
Arcturus is a lineage descended from BA.2 which in turn descended from Omicron and because of its rapid spread in some countries around the world, such as India and the United States, the World Health Organization last day 17 changed the classification type from ” Surveillance Variant” to “Interest Variant”. The line has now been sequenced in at least 37 countries, including Australia, Canada and the UK.
According to the Ministry of Health, one case of variant XBB.1.16 has been registered in the state of São Paulo. The folder states that the evidence for this lineage indicates “no public health risks compared to XBB.1.5” the main strain common in the country yet an increase in the severity of cases.
increased edition
According to data provided by the WHO, there has been a weekly increase in the prevalence of Arcturus worldwide. Between late February and early March this year, the prevalence of XBB.1.16 was 0.52%. The index has currently risen to 4.31%. The most common bloodline currently is XBB.1.5, aka Kraken, at 45%.
According to the WHO, the global risk assessment for Arcturus (XBB.1.16) is low compared to octopuses (XBB.1.5), but the possibility that the former is more common than the latter is not excluded.
The latest WHO technical report, published this week, says that no change in the health status of infected patients has been reported in countries where XBB.1.16 is in circulation. Only India and Indonesia have seen a slight increase in bed occupancy, but hospital admissions are still well below what has been seen in waves of previous variants, according to the organization.
Although the risks of Arcturus are small, WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom, in an opening speech at a press conference last 26th, recalled the variant: “The virus is still changing and can still cause new waves of illness and death”, he said Adhanom also said he hopes to declare the end of Covid19 a public health emergency later this year.