Highly contagious COVID-19 sub-variant stirs concern.
Posted: April 20th, 2023, 11:49 pm
XBB.1.16 is “one to watch,” indeed. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is keeping tabs on the new omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16, dubbed “Arcturus” by those tracking the virus. XBB.1.16 is currently fueling a surge of cases in India, where it is the dominant sub-variant, and has been identified in, at least, 22 countries, including the United States. 
Although XBB.1.16 is more of a global issue at this point, according to the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, it has been reported in, at least, 18 U.S. states and case counts have nearly doubled over the last week. This accounts for an estimated 7.2 per cent of current cases — although the number could be as high as 11.3 per cent, according to the latest estimates from the CDC.
Although XBB.1.16 is more of a global issue at this point, according to the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, it has been reported in, at least, 18 U.S. states and case counts have nearly doubled over the last week. This accounts for an estimated 7.2 per cent of current cases — although the number could be as high as 11.3 per cent, according to the latest estimates from the CDC.
