First detected in India, Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 - also known as "Arcturus" - has already been reported in over 30 countries. This is what we know about it so far.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) is carefully monitoring a new Omicron subvariant that is driving a surge of new COVID-19 cases in India.

 

XBB.1.16 - also known as "Arcturus," the name of the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere - was detected in 21 countries as of March 27.

The WHO upgraded it to "variant of interest" status in mid-April, with the number of countries now affected believed to be more than 30.

 

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Scientists at the University of Tokyo suggest it could be about 1.17 to 1.27 times more infectious than Kraken, the last major omicron sub-variant, making it likely to become the next dominant strain. "This is one to watch," said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 response at the WHO, during a press conference on March 29.

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