COVID-19 spike in India: Today, India reported 7,830 fresh COVID-19 cases which is so far the highest-ever surge in the last seven months. According to the Health Ministry data, the active caseload rose to breach the 40,000 mark.
Presently, there are 40,215 active cases in the country. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 3.65% and the weekly positivity rate was logged at 3.83 percent.
Amid this surge in COVID-19 cases, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has urged the state health ministers to be prepared with appropriate health facilities and to stay alert.
The Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.16 also dubbed as “Arcturus” by variant trackers is responsible for the current surge in the country. Reportedly, this variant has been detected in more than 20 countries so far.
XBB.1.16–Highly infectious COVID-19 variant
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this new COVID-19 variant seems to be causing a new symptom in children rarely caused by other Omicron variant. According to media reports, the variant is fueling a new surge of cases in India, at a time when reported cases are down in much of the rest of the world.
This COVID-19 variant spreads faster than other variants. However, hospitalization rates are low and can be managed at home.
According to WHO, the Omicron viruses account for over 98% of the publicly available sequences since February last year.
The global health agency declared XBB.1.16 a “variant under monitoring” in late March. It’s the most transmissible variant yet, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead for the WHO, said at a March 31 press conference.
Dr. Vipin Vashishtha—a pediatrician in India and former head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunization took to Twitter and said that pediatric cases of COVID-19 are on the increase for the first time in six months.
XBB.1.16 variant symptoms among children:
- High fever
- Cough
- “Itchy” conjunctivitis—or pinkeye—without pus, but with “sticky eyes”
According to Dr. Vashishtha, these symptoms hasn’t been seen in earlier COVID-19 waves.
What are the symptoms of the XBB.1.16 variant among adults?
The symptoms of this sub-variant are similar to the previous strains. Some of the symptoms include:
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Abdominal issues
It is noteworthy that this variant can infect vaccinated individuals as well.
According to doctors, infected people may experience symptoms in the upper and lower respiratory tracts.
Following upper respiratory tract symptoms have been reported so far:
- Nasal discharge
- Sore throat
- Slow-rising fever that lasts for one or two days
- Loss of smell
In case of these symptoms, it is recommended to get tested for COVID-19.
For lower respiratory tract symptoms, people may suffer from severe bronchitis and cough.