A novel coronavirus subvariant, XBB. 1. 16, has been designated as a “variant under surveillance” by the World Health Organization. The newest branch of omicron is predominant in India, where it has led to infections and a return to mask mandates in parts of the country.
Here’s what you want to know about the subvariant called Arcturus, which has been documented in 29 countries so far.
Arcturus was first detected in a pattern that began in January and has now been documented in 29 countries, according to the World Health Organization. It is a subvariant of the omicron variant, which gave the impression at the end of 2021 and replaced delta as the dominant variant in the world.
At the end of February, the Arcturus strain accounted for 0. 21% of cases worldwide. A month later, that figure had risen to 3. 96%, according to WHO figures. In the United States, it is estimated to account for 7. 2% of coronavirus infections. for the week ending April 15, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
WHO designated XBB. 1. 16 as a “surveillance variant” on 22 March. This means that the variant exhibits “genetic changes” that can have effects on its characteristics as viruses, adding an imaginable “growth advantage” over other variants, however, the epidemiological effect is unclear. The WHO is tracking seven variants, adding the BA. 2 edition of omicron seen in many parts of the United States.
A “surveillance variant” is less scary than a “variant of interest,” which is predicted or known to be more transmissible or virulent, or capable of evading antibodies, according to the WHO. The XBB. La 1. 5 strain, lately the maximum widespread subvariant in the world, is described as a variant of interest.
According to the WHO, Arcturus belongs to the generalized variant XBB. 1. 5, but has “an additional mutational mutation in the spike protein, which in laboratory studies shows greater infectivity, as well as potentially higher pathogenicity. “
While this would possibly mean it can also spread faster, there is still no indication that it will lead to more severe cases.
“We’ve noticed this in the past,” Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in Britain, said in an interview. “You look at the virus and it has mutations that make it more virulent, but you don’t really see it. “
He explains that immunity in the body’s T cells represents “one of the biggest protections” and yet “we don’t see much evolution in the parts of the virus that T cells actually attack,” meaning the effect of mutations is likely to be limited. There’s no evidence that it’s more severe, and it’s probably a little less severe than previous strains, but it’s too early to be sure. And that’s almost in fact due to immunity.
“It will probably be the dominant variant for a while in the US and Europe and in most countries around the world, but I don’t see it spreading serious infections any more than we’ve seen in recent waves,” he said.
In India, the number of active coronavirus cases has been surging in recent weeks, with only about 50,000 recorded on Friday, according to the country’s fitness ministry, up from 13,509 on March 30.
The country was devastated by a wave of infections involving the delta variant in 2021, which killed tens of thousands of people. Cases have recently spiked again, prompting some states to reintroduce mask orders. genomic testing and simulated exercises in hospitals, according to Reuters news agency.
Arcturus has already replaced other variants in India, according to the March WHO report. However, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on covid-19, said last March that “we have not noticed any change in severity in Americans or populations. “, the organization “remains vigilant. “
According to the CoV-Spectrum website, which uses knowledge from the GISAID initiative to track variants of the coronavirus, XBB. 1. 16 detected in sequenced samples from countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia. The CDC’s variant tracker shows it circulates in very low grades in more than a dozen states, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Carolina and Ohio.
“It turns out that it spreads faster than any other variant right now, but that’s what happens: A new variant comes along, spreads fairly temporarily for a while, and then disappears for an era of a few weeks, eventually being replaced by the next,” Hunter said.
He added that previous studies have shown that many other people gain advantages from hybrid immunity resulting from a combination of past infections and vaccines, giving them greater coverage against serious illness “for a little longer, probably for a few years,” meaning that even if they are inflamed with Arcturus or some other variant, They are less likely to require hospital treatment.
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