"Arcturus: The Emerging Covid Variant and Its Symptoms"

Covid variant XBB.1.16, also known as Arcturus, is a subvariant of the Omicron variant and is considered more transmissible and immune-evasive than its predecessors. While the symptoms of XBB.1.16 are not very different from the previous strains and the disease caused by it largely remains mild, in case of vulnerable population like children and elderly, it can cause slightly different symptoms. Common symptoms in adults include fever, sore throat, running nose, cough, body ache, myalgia, fatigue, diarrhoea. Prevention tips include wearing triple-layered masks, taking care of hand hygiene, and following social distancing measures. Vaccination may prevent hospitalisation and severe disease in those with risk factors of severe disease.