Arcturus: What do we know about the new Covid variant?

Kovid variant XBB.1.16, also known as Arcturus.

The XBB 1.16 variant is the primary cause of the increase in cases among children and adults

This variant is showing immune escape and is capable of evading the immune system. It is infecting those who had covid infection..

A new Covid strain is causing concern behind the rise in infections in India, with research indicating it may be 1.2 times more infectious than the previous dominant sub-variant.

Known as Arcturus or Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, the strain was first identified in January and has been under surveillance by the World Health Organization (WHO) since March 22.

In India, the country's health ministry reported 40,215 active Covid cases on 12 April, an increase of 3,122 in just one day.

Kovid variant XBB.1.16, also known as Arcturus.

Some states introduce mandatory face masks, conduct mock drills in hospitals and ramp up vaccine production.

The highly infectious omicron subvariant has also been reported in dozens of countries, including the UK.