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Covid news – live: Cases soar again in India as doctors warn of ‘new symptom’

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Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Fri, April 14, 2023 at 3:53 AM EDT·3 min read

A new coronavirus strain dubbed Arcturus appears to be driving a surge in Covid-19 cases in India, prompting the country to resume vaccine production and sparking fears it could lead to a rise in cases in the UK and elsewhere.

 

India on Friday recorded 11,109 new Covid infections, the biggest jump in almost a year. The country’s active case count is now up to 49,662.

 

The XBB.1.16 strain, a sub-variant of Omicron, has been found in 22 countries, including Singapore, Australia, the UK and the US. Research indicates Arcturus could be one 1.2 times more infectious than the last major sub-variant, making it likely to become the dominant strain.

 

The spread of the strain, first detected in late January in India, is worrying experts, as it seems to exhibit unique symptoms in children, one of which is conjunctivitis.

The symptoms of the variant include high fever, cough, and “itchy” conjunctivitis or pinkeye, according to Vipin Vashishtha, a paediatrician and former head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunisation.

 

Key Points
What are the symptoms of the new Covid variant?
Fears new Covid variant could become dominant in UK

Fears new ‘Arcturus’ Covid variant could become dominant in UK
08:52 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarVirologist Dr Stephen Griffin from the University of Leeds said Arcturus is growing at a faster rate than other variants and is “rapidly outcompeting” others in India. He added that the new variant, which is now spreading globally, is particularly concerning because of limitations in genomic sequencing and tracking, leaving the UK “completely in the dark” after it stopped publishing ONS Covid case figures last month.So far in the UK, Arcturus accounts for just 0.4 per cent of cases, according to the GISAID virus sequencing database – but that proportion is expected to increase considerably.“Arcturus has a growth advantage of about 1.2 compared to what we’ve had recently,” Dr Griffin told The Independent. “It’s conceivable it could outcompete what we’ve had recently but there are other variants in the mix so it’s hard to know which one will become dominant.”Thomas Kingsley reports.Fears new ‘Arcturus’ Covid variant could become dominant in UK

What are the symptoms of the new Covid variant?
08:31 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe XBB.1.16 strain, a sub-variant of Omicron, has been found in 22 countries, including Singapore, Australia, the UK and the US.The variant, dubbed Arcturus, is believed to be responsible for an uptick in infections in India, leading to the government adopting new measures to stop its spread.The spread of the strain, first detected in late January, is worrying experts, as it seems to exhibit unique symptoms in children, one of which is conjunctivitis.Vipin Vashishtha, a paediatrician and former head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunisation tweeted that “an infantile phenotype” of the variant seems to be emerging.The symptoms of the variant include high fever, cough, and “itchy” conjunctivitis or pinkeye, she said.Stuti Mishra reports.Latest Covid variant sweeping India appears to have this new symptom

08:01 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarWelcome to The Independent’s live blog tracking the uptick in Covid-19 cases in India and across the world.

 

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