COVID-19: There are 119 cases of Arcturus in B.C. Here’s what we know about this latest subvariant

There’s a new COVID-19 subvariant in the global spotlight. Nicknamed Arcturus and scientifically known as XBB.1.16, this latest subvariant of the Omicron variant surfaced in India in January and has started spreading around the world, including Canada, the U.S. and at least 30 other countries.

Arcturus has been associated with pink eye, or conjunctivitis, making it hard to tell if the symptoms are a sign of COVID or just seasonal allergies.

Here’s what you need to know about this new fast-spreading variant.

It’s a descendant of Omicron, one of hundreds of subvariants circulating in the world. Genetically, it has a similar profile as XBB.1.5, also known as Kraken, but with an additional mutation.