By strategiaynegocios.net

The coronavirus, experts warn, is here to stay and that means we can know about new variants and, there is already talk of the XBB.1.16 or Arcturus variant, which was first detected in January 2023 and has already been considered. “variant of interest”.

It is a combination of two other subvariants of omicron that primarily affect children under 12 years of age. It has additional mutations in the spike protein, which also lead to increased pathogenicity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that it is “more contagious” than the previous one. “The available data do not indicate that XBB.1.16 poses an additional risk to public health,” he added.

In fact, Vipin Vashishtha, a pediatrician and former head of the Immunization Committee of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, says that a “childhood phenotype” of the variant is occurring.

It already exists, according to records, in 33 countries. It appeared first in India and then in the United States, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Brunei, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as Brazil and Ecuador, to name a few.

Symptom

The main symptoms of this variant are: in adults similar to the flu. These include a runny nose, sore throat, or cough.

However, in children, conjunctivitis, an eye infection that causes red, itchy, and swollen eyes, can develop.

In either case, the smell may change, muscle aches and hoarseness may occur, as well as fever.

According to WHO data, between 1 and 20 May 2023, there were around two million new cases of coronavirus and around 12,000 deaths. These figures represent a decrease of 30% and 39% respectively compared to the previous 28 days’ figures, which took place from April 3 to 30.