New Covid 'Arcturus' variant cases confirmed in UK as mask rules return in India

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A new Covid-19 variant that has forced India to reinstate mask rules has been found in the UK.The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed that the Covid Arcturus variant is present in the UK, but that there are under 100 cases.The Arcturus XBB.1.16 sub-variant of the Omicron strain has caused a surge of infections in India, leading to mock drills this week in an attempt to see if hospitals in the country were prepared.As reported by the Mirror, wearing face coverings in public has been made compulsory for the first time in a year in some states of India.Figures from Our World in Data, run by Oxford University, shows the spike of cases in India.Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and an associate professor at the New York Institute of Technologycampus in Arkansas called XBB.1.16 "the big dog".As Advisory Board reported, he added: "It's picking up mutations that are common in other variants that will increase its advantage further."Arcturus' spread and infectiousness is being closely watched.Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organisation's technical lead for COVID-19 response, said: "This is one to watch. "We're monitoring it because it has potential changes that we need to keep a good eye out on."The fast-spreading strain was first spotted on January 23 this year, and was designated a variant under monitoring by March 22.While it appears to spread quickly, there has been no reported increase in severity in cases caused by Arcturus. Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here.