Named a special danger of a new version of the coronavirus “Arcturus”

Scientists studying COVID say a new variant of the Arcturus coronavirus may be linked to conjunctivitis. XBB.1.16 variant is contagious, but should not raise concerns about a return to the early stages of a pandemic, a new study from California researchers says.

A new variant of Covid, which some public health officials have suggested may be linked to conjunctivitis, has raised alarms about the virus despite a steady decline in coronavirus cases and deaths.

However, according to The Guardian, infectious disease experts say this is part of the normal trajectory for such a virus to spread.

In late April, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an alert saying that people infected with the XBB.1.16 strain, nicknamed “Arcturus” on social media, “may be more likely to experience conjunctivitis as a symptom of their COVID infection.”

This strain is likely more contagious than other recent variants and people should “take the same reasonable precautions against COVID to avoid infection,” the report says.

But according to infectious disease experts, this option should not raise concerns about a return to the earlier stages of the pandemic.

“It’s like the ‘boy who yelled ‘wolves, wolves'” – said Dr. Celine Gaunder, an epidemiologist and editor-in-chief of the public health department of KFF Health News. “The problem is that if you yell ‘wolves’ every time a new option comes up – when there really isn’t much to worry about – you will lose the trust of the general public.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths has been steadily declining since January. Life also continues to slowly return to normal, with most people no longer wearing masks in public.

The Arcturus strain is not considered a “variant of concern” because “although it is highly contagious, it does not appear to be any more serious” than other variants, said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Medical School. Vanderbilt University.

COVID vaccines also appear to protect well against this variant, Schaffner said.

There is also higher immunity to the coronavirus among the general population, according to Justin Lessler, professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, which is “the biggest driver of changes in severity and how the virus affects people.”

The new strain appears to be simply part of an “evolving virus,” Lessler said.

“All indications are that we are entering a world similar to the flu, where the virus continues, continues, and continues to evolve, and immunity weakens, and that because of this we will have repeated epidemics,” – notes Justin Lessler.

In such a scenario, politicians and the general public should have a conversation about “how many deaths we are willing to tolerate” and how much “to spend to prevent death and move on,” emphasizes Dr. Celine Gaunder. “This is a value judgment, not an epidemiological judgment.”

In the meantime, there are still useful precautions people can take against the virus, such as vaccines, masking and rapid tests, according to Justin Lessler.

“If you are or live with someone who is at particularly high risk, I think caution is warranted, – Lessler states. “And we still have good tools to help fight it.”