‘Arcturus,’ a highly transmissible COVID variant eyed by the WHO, appears to have a new symptom. Here’s what you need to know
finance.yahoo.com
XBB.1.16 may not be just another run-of-the-mill Omicron, according to a prominent pediatrician in India.

But XBB.1.16 may not be just another run-of-the-mill Omicron. Dr. Vipin Vashishtha—a pediatrician in India and former head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunization—tweeted Thursday that pediatric cases of COVID are on the increase for the first time in six months, and that “an infantile phenotype seems emerging.”

The symptoms he’s now seeing among children:

  • High fever
  • Cough
  • “Itchy” conjunctivitis—or pink eye—without pus, but with “sticky eyes”

The latter symptom hasn’t been seen in earlier COVID waves, he noted.

XBB.1.16 is a recombinant of two descendants of so-called “stealth Omicron” BA.2. A preprint study updated Sunday from scientists at the University of Tokyo suggests that it spreads about 1.17 to 1.27 times more efficiently than relatives XBB.1 and XBB.1.5, also known as "Kraken," which currently dominates U.S. cases.

XBB.1.16’s increased ability to outpace other variants suggest that it “will spread worldwide in the near future,” researchers wrote, adding that the variant is “robustly resistant” to antibodies from a variety of COVID variants, including “stealth Omicron” BA.2 and BA.5, which surged globally last summer.

That means it could cause cases to rise again, even in areas that have recently seen increased COVID infections—especially if those infections stemmed from either BA.2, BA.5, or their descendants.

New variants may not always cause “waves” of cases anymore. That’s because a continual parade of new Omicron variants creates a baseline of infections that remains “unsustainably high,” Gregory says.

  • sooper_dooper_roofer [none/use name]
    ·
    a year ago

    or the people taking it seriously

    masks don't stop infection if everyone else is baremouthed. In that case the best they can do is reduce viral load, and thus intensity, of the infection. But they can't prevent the infection.

    • JoeByeThen [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      a year ago

      Sure, but I didn't just mean people that aren't masking. If you're wearing a mask at a convention or a concert or something, you're still not really taking it seriously. It sucks, but we're at a point where living the status quo is gonna get you killed. Gotta start thinking about the future; Covid, Climate Change, Fascist oppression, Supply Chain instabilities, it's all gonna start requiring planning for the future in more ways than just wearing a mask. Like I said, it's Class Struggle.

      Edit: What's that quote about leftists not believing their own warnings about the fash? It's that. Shit IS going down. We are in a Class War. And they are killing us.