The Arcturus coronavirus strain, also known as XBB.1.16, has become the dominant variant circulating in the United States, accounting for more than 17% of new COVID-19 infections in recent weeks.
This is a slight increase from the previous period, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) down to 16%. It was followed by the XBB.1.5 variant, which is expected to be the main target of COVID-19 vaccines in the fall, responsible for 16% of new infections in recent weeks.
While Arcturus and XBB.1.5 dominate, other Omicron subvariants are gaining traction across the country. Notably, the EG.5 and XBB.2.3 strains each accounted for 13% of new infections over the past two weeks.
this World Health Organization (WHO) The XBB.2.3 variant is being actively monitored and is also on the rise globally, with spikes in COVID-19 cases in several countries.
according to World Health Organization weekly coronavirus report“Some countries have seen recent increases in cases, driven by (variants of interest) and some (variants under surveillance). In some cases, increases in cases have been accompanied by increases in hospitalizations and deaths, although These are lower compared to previous waves.”
The report highlights the heterogeneity of the dynamics of the mutation cycle and attributes lower morbidity and mortality in part to population immunity arising from vaccination and previous infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Despite the prevalence of these variants, U.S. coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations have declined. The decline can be attributed to the vast majority of people gaining some level of protection against the virus through vaccination, infection, or both.
By the end of 2022, the CDC estimates that nearly 97% of Americans have some level of protection against COVID-19.
In April, public health authorities issued a warning to parents about the Arcturus variant, which has been found to cause high fevers, conjunctivitis or pink eye in children. Experts clarified at the time that, in contrast to other types of conjunctivitis, conjunctivitis caused by Arcturus is not accompanied by pus.
Published by Medicaldaily.com