#xbb.1.16

Just because the COVID-19 emergency ended doesn't mean the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

You’re not imagining it: Covid-19 cases are on the rise again. Fortunately, since a vast majority of Americans have some sort of immunity, either from vaccination or a prior infection, or both, most people who get infected now will have a mild illness. And while there are multiple strains circulating (nearly all of them descendants of the Omicron XBB variant), they are unlikely to cause the “wildfire spreading” that occurred with the Delta variant and the first Omicron variant, said Dr. David Boulware, a professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota Medical School. That includes EG.5, which was recently named a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization and currently accounts for about 17 percent of cases in the United States. “I’m not sure if it’s a surge, per se, or just uptick,” Dr. Boulware said of the current situation. Either way, he added, it’s a reminder “that, yes, Covid still exists.”

If you are fully vaccinated, including the booster, congratulate yourself. If not, this might be a good time to catch up. The new academic year starts soon and not all your classmates may be as conscientious as you.

A reminder of the symptoms – one of which is associated with a new strain.

Covid symptoms haven’t changed much since the start of the pandemic — sore throat, congestion, fatigue, fever and cough remain the most common, said Dr. Paul Sax, the clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Some people may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms, and there are reports that the XBB.1.16 strain can cause pink eye. These generic symptoms mean it can be “extremely difficult to tell one virus from another,” Dr. Sax said. The easiest way to know if you have Covid or just a summer cold is to take a rapid test.

Not everybody with pink eye has the COVID XBB.1.16 strain, but it's a heads up if you also have any of the more classic symptoms.

Diseases don't go away just because people get bored with them. Hopefully there will soon be a yearly COVID shot just as there is a yearly flu shot.

If you need it, the CDC vaccine site is still available.

#COVID19 infections rise 3-fold in 6 weeks in #Japan.

Case numbers have tripled since COVID-19 was downgraded to Category 5 under the Infectious Diseases Law on May 8th. #Omicron subvariant XBB-1.16 and XBB-1.5 are the most dominant strains.

#XBB116 #XBB15

#DOH says latest genome sequencing (05.22.2023) results show 72% being Omicron XBB subvariants: 11% XBB 1.15 (Kraken), 34% XBB 1.9.1 (Hyperion), 12% XBB 1.16 (Arcturus), 5% XBB 2.3 (Acrux). All samples taken from Region 6 | via @iamguidodavid

World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group on Thursday recommended that this year's COVID-19 booster shots be updated to target one of the currently dominant XBB.1.5 or XBB.1.16 variants.

Philippines detects first case of COVID-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 or 'Arcturus.'

The latest subvariant of the COVID-19 virus could be giving some people pink eye - a symptom not found in the previous strains of the novel coronavirus. William Schaffner, M.D., a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, told Everyday Health that XBB.1.16 has one additional mutation in the spike protein compared to XBB.1.5. The mutation reportedly makes the new variant much more contagious than the other strains. Plus, it also has a somewhat new clinical manifestation in the form of conjunctivitis. "It is more likely than the other omicron variants to produce fever, and it is producing conjunctivitis (pink eye), especially in children. So far, the pink eye appears to last several days to a week, similar to the conventional viral pink eye," Schaffner said. Conjunctivitis is a condition characterized by the swelling or inflammation of the conjunctiva - the thin, transparent layer of the tissue that covers the white part of the eye, according to the American Optometric Association. There are three common causes of pink eye: allergies, infections and chemicals. The pink or mild redness is often accompanied by itching and clear, watery discharge.

A new strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is making rounds, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to track its activity amid the pandemic. The new variant XBB.1.16, also called Arcturus, has caught the organization's attention recently as it seems to be spreading at a much faster rate than other recent strains based on initial studies, the Jerusalem Post reported. Arcturus recently gained media attention after sparking a surge in cases in India by the end of March. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the country recorded 40,215 active cases. Approximately 7,930 of them were reported as new cases. "This is one to watch," WHO's technical lead for COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove said at a recent briefing, per CNN. But while XBB.1.16 seems to be spreading more quickly than other variants, but it does not seem to cause more severe illness than the latter. "It's been in circulation for a few months. We haven't seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations, but that's why we have these systems in place," Van Kerkhove said.