'Arcturus' Linked to New Itchy COVID Symptom in NY Area

A subvariant of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, called XBB.1.16 or Arcturus, is spreading quickly in some parts of the world, including the United States. It is highly contagious and may have a new symptom of itchy conjunctivitis with sticky eyes, mostly seen in kids. The CDC's variant tracker shows it has nearly doubled its proportion in the last week and is now at 7.2% of all samples sequenced, with estimates as high as 14.9%. In HHS Region 2, which includes New York and New Jersey, the figure is over 9%. However, New York City transmission is currently the lowest it has been in many months, though this trend mirrors a dramatic plunge in the number of people getting tested.