COVID-19: New ‘Arcturus' Variant Causing Symptom Not Typically Seen

A previously unobserved symptom of COVID-19 has emerged alongside a surge in cases driven by a novel variant of the virus.

The Arcturus strain, also referred to as XBB.1.16, is recognized as an extensively contagious manifestation of the Omicron variant, according to official records.

In the past week, there has been a doubling of XBB.1.16 cases in the United States, as reported by the variant tracker of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to a new report by the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of the new Omicron variant include itchy, red eyes which were not present in the previous waves.

Dr. Matthew Binnicker, the Mayo Clinic's director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory, stated that a distinguished characteristic of cases resulting from this variant is the emergence of conjunctivitis, a condition indicated by red and itchy eyes, among young patients. According to him, this has not been encountered before in previous virus strains.

According to the Mayo Clinic's report, Arcturus is more transmissible than previous strains but does not seem to be more hazardous.

Certain regions of the world, such as India, are experiencing a rise in confirmed cases due to the presence of XBB.1.16. This variant, which was initially discovered in New York in January, has been verified in 27 states across the United States, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.

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