[News Terms] More Contagious 'XBB.1.16 Variant'

The 'XBB.1.16 variant' is a new Omicron subvariant virus that is more contagious than the COVID-19 Omicron subvariants.

It is a recombinant of Omicron 'BA.2.10.1' and 'BA2.75', with additional mutations in the spike protein compared to its parent lineage XBB. The mutation at position 478 of the spike protein is known to be associated with reduced antibody neutralization, increased transmissibility, and pathogenicity. According to researchers at the University of Tokyo, it has about 1.17 to 1.27 times stronger transmissibility compared to the same lineage 'XBB.1' and 'XBB 1.5'.

As concerns grow over the spread of a new subvariant of the COVID-19 Omicron, the departure hall of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 is bustling with passengers. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

It has been nicknamed 'Arcturus' after the brightest star in the Bo?tes constellation and was first discovered in India last January. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated this variant as a 'Variant of Interest (VOI)' on the 22nd of last month.

It exhibits strong transmissibility and is spreading worldwide, having been detected in 29 countries including China. In India, daily confirmed cases were in the hundreds in February but recently surged over 10,000, increasing more than 100-fold. In the United States, it has become the second dominant strain following the predominant XBB.1.5.

This variant is characterized by unique symptoms not seen in previous variants, such as eye-related symptoms. Some infected individuals have exhibited conjunctivitis, eye redness, and eye itching in addition to basic COVID-19 symptoms. Particularly among children and adolescents, symptoms such as sticky eyes have been reported more prominently.

Im Suk-young, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated at a regular briefing on the 26th, "Omicron lineage variants tend to show somewhat increased immune evasion ability when new variants emerge, and XBB.1.16 is no exception. However, there have been no reports so far indicating increased severity." She added, "Some countries are showing an increasing trend, and there is concern about an increase in our country as well, so we will continue to monitor and closely observe the occurrence trends."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.