There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the new ‘Arcturus’ variant of Covid-19, technically known as XBB.1.16. BuDS has been through the available scientific publications, Government analysis, and more, to bring you a brief summary of what you need to know about this new variant. Read on for more.
What Is The ‘Arcturus’ Variant?
The ‘Arcturus’ variant, technically known as XBB.1.16, is a new variant of Covid-19 that has been recently observed in the UK and around the world. It is a sub-variant of Omicron, which means that it shares many of the same characteristics, but differs in crucial areas. Most notably, ‘Arcturus’ has been the main cause of a huge spike in Covid cases in India, where mandatory mask wearing and other Covid precautions have been reintroduced in some areas as a result.
The ‘Arcturus’ variant differs from existing Covid and Omicron variants, such as the ‘Kraken’ variant, in a few ways. The most significant is that it has 3 additional mutations on the spike proteins that allow it to bind to other cells. This has the effect of making it significantly more infectious, as the mutations improve its ability to attach to and attack other cells. Scientific estimates put it at 1.2 and 1.5 times as infectious as the last major variant (‘Kraken’), which caused a huge spike in cases here in the UK last winter.
Do I Need To Be Worried?
You do not yet need to be worried about ‘Arcturus’. While it is causing significant disruption in India, there have so far been less than 100 cases observed in the UK since it was first identified back in January. It is also important to remember that India has a significantly lower level of vaccination and immunity from vaccination than we have in the UK, so direct comparisons between the spread in India and the UK cannot be made.
The UKHSA has evaluated the ‘Arcturus’ variant in it’s most recent technical briefing on Covid-19 variants, and they assessed it as not yet being a threat in the UK. The briefing also identified two other variants (XBB.1.9.1 and XBB.1.5) as spreading in a similar way to ‘Arcturus’, so it may be that these overtake it to become dominant in the UK. Certainly at the minute, cases are too low in all 3 of the mentioned variants for them to be of significant concern yet. If this situation changes, BuDS will keep you informed.
More Information
To read all our other articles about Covid-19, use this link: https://buds.org.uk/category/our-work/iag-covid-19/
To read our weekly Covid-19 risk assessments for Buckinghamshire, use this link: https://buds.org.uk/category/our-work/iag-covid-19/risk-assessments/
Remember, BuDS is here to help. If you have any questions, or need help with any related issues, please contact us and we will do our very best to help you.