Arcturus: what GPs need to know about the new COVID variant
A new COVID variant — XBB.1.16, or Arcturus — has now been identified in at least 34 countries, including the UK and Australia.
Arcturus is a subvariant of Omicron and was first detected in India in January 2023.
As of 17 April, the latest date for which the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reported data on this variant in the UK, 105 cases of Arcturus had been sequenced across England.
Five Britons who tested positive for Arcturus have died.
