Five people who had the
Arcturus strain of Covid have died, according to the latest data from public health chiefs.
As of 17 April, there were 105 cases of XBB.1.16 – also known as Arcturus – in England, with infections located in all regions apart from the northeast.
Health chiefs have said that there is no evidence to suggest the new subvariant is more severe than past ones.
Professor Adam Finn, from the University of Bristol, who is also an advisor to the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccinations, told
The Independent: “There’s no clear evidence that it’s a more dangerous variant in terms of case fatality rates, or hospitalisation rates than the previous and currently circulating subvariants……
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/arcturus-covid-variant-deaths-uk-b2325658.html