Arcturus is considered a new COVID-19 subvariant of Omicron and is on the increase in Australia.
XBB.1.16 was discovered in NSW in February of this year, with infections gradually increasing.
In comparison to other strains currently in circulation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) rated this strain as “low risk” on a worldwide scale. However, as cases in India increased, WHO designated the strain as a variant of interest earlier this month.
On April 17, WHO designated XBB.1.16 as a variation of interest, indicating that it was a strain to watch. According to Dr. Turville, as of the week ending April 15, approximately one-quarter of all prevalent varieties of Omicron are XBB.1.16.
Though the COVID-19 situation has improved greatly, people are still advised to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
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