(MENAFN- The Peninsula) khalid elsawi |
The Peninsula online
Doha: The World health Organization (WHO) said that a new COVID-19 variant called XBB.1.16, or“Arcturus” –the name of the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere-is believed to have affected 31 countries as of last Thursday.
WHO, in an earlier report, noted that the 712 sequences of the new omicron subvariant Arcturus have been recorded in 21 countries in March of this year.
Come April, the UN health body upgraded Arcturus to“variant of interest”, with the number of countries believed to be affected having also increased.
A report published this month by the UN agency said that factors such as“growth advantage” and“immune escape characteristics” could help the variant spread globally and increase cases of incidence.
Three new mutations were observed in Arcturus' SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and have been associated with "decreased antibody neutralization, and increased transmissibility, pathogenicity.”
The Times of India, in a recent report, alerted to a rise of Covid-19 infections in India, with the country recording 9,111 new cases, and increased active cases totaling 60,313.
The report stated that this new variant was responsible for the increased infections observed in the South Asian country.
Malaysian news portal Malaysiakini reported 12 different cases of the new variant have been discovered in Malaysia, with students likely required to wear face mask when school reopens on May 5.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US national public health agency, said that the 9.6% of newly infected Americans last week were doe to the new variant.
Despite increased transmissibility, reports have not indicated a rise in hospitalizations, ICU admissions, or deaths due to Arcturus. As of the moment, there are no reported laboratory studies on markers of Arcturus' disease severity.
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