Arcturus – What we know so far?

Just when we thought that COVID-19 pandemic had eased, a new Omicron subvariant ‘Arcturus’ was detected in India last month, causing a spike of new COVID-19 cases in India. [1]
Here is what we know about Arcturus:

1. It is a name given to the new subvariant, known as XBB.1.16. According to the WHO, it has one additional mutation in the spike protein which increases the infectivity and spreads faster. [1] The University of Tokyo has showed that Arcturus is about 1.2 times more transmissible as XBB.1.5, which is also known as Kraken. [2]

2. There are some case reports that Arcturus causes sticky and itchy eye in children as if they have conjunctivitis. [3]

3. The common symptoms in those infected with the Arcturus variants are the same as previous variants, such as sore throat, running nose, fever, fatigue, cough, muscle pain, headaches and abdominal discomfort. However, so far there is no rise in rate of hospitalisation or deaths due to XBB.1.16 in India. [4]

According to KKMNow, the official Health Ministry Data, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 87.5% for the past 14 days up to 8th of April 2023, while the hospital admission rate has increased 30.5%. [5] While the Raya Aidilfitri is just around the corner, we should be more vigilant and don’t forget to mask up and keep a physical distance from others when we are in a crowded place. If you have any questions, you may consult our pharmacist at any CARiNG Pharmacy store. Stay safe and healthy everyone! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri dan minta zahir dan batin.