A new and highly contagious subvariant of COVID-19 called XBB.1.16 or "Arcturus," is causing concern among health officials worldwide. This subvariant is currently responsible for a surge of cases in India and has been identified in at least 22 other countries, including the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring XBB.1.16, as it has potential changes that require close attention. In lab studies, XBB.1.16 has shown increased infectivity and potential increased pathogenicity, which is the potential to produce disease. Although XBB.1.16 is more of a global issue at this point, it has been reported in 18 U.S. states and accounts for an estimated 2.9% of current cases.
The virus continues to evolve, making it difficult to predict its pattern, and health officials are concerned about its potential to become not only more transmissible but more severe. Health officials continue to encourage people to get vaccinated and boosted to prevent the spread of the virus. People over 60 years old and those with underlying health conditions are at the highest risk for severe COVID-19, and healthcare systems need to have good antivirals that are in use and given to patients who need them, when they need them, to prevent severe disease. COVID-19 testing still detects this subvariant quite well, so people who think they may have been infected should be tested. As with earlier variants, people with chronic medical issues, especially those who have lung issues or are immunocompromised, may still be at risk of more severe illness. Antivirals such as Paxlovid remain effective in reducing the duration of viral shedding for this variant, and it is likely beneficial for patients in high-risk categories.
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