Posted on 04/16/2023 5:27:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A new COVID-19 variant fueling a rise in cases is causing a new symptom that has not been associated with the virus during the three-plus years of the pandemic.
The so-called Arcturus strain — officially known as XBB.1.16 — is believed to be one of the most infectious versions of the Omicron variant to date.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) variant tracker, XBB.1.16 United States cases have doubled in the last week.
Itchy, red eyes not seen in earlier waves "are symptoms of the new Omicron variant," according to a brand-new report by the Mayo Clinic.
"One new feature of cases caused by this variant is that it seems to be causing conjunctivitis, or red and itchy eyes, in young patients," according to Dr. Matthew Binnicker, the Mayo Clinic's director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory. "This is not something that we've seen with prior strains of the virus."
Arcturus has a higher transmissibility rate than previous strains but doesn't appear to be more dangerous, the Mayo Clinic said in its report.
XBB.1.16 is causing increasing case counts in certain parts of the world, including India, and has been confirmed in 27 states, including New York, where it was first detected in January, as well as New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.
This continues to be a developing story.
p
MY EYES! MY EYES!!!!Bring Out Your Dead
Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.
The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.
The false positive rate was 100%.
At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.
*sigh* Such is life, and death...
Quarantine the sick. Protect the vulnerable. Hang the guilty. Free everyone else.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.