This is not to scare, but to inform. Hopefully you are all still willing to stay informed. Any new variant, especially one that is this *contagious, has the potential to increase hospitalizations and/or deaths.

UPDATES ARE IN COMMENTS

Updates show the new variants/sub-variants still circulating, with URLs to many country's resources

Arcturus XBB.1.16

XBB.1.16, is a subvariant of Omicron and part of the new class of XBB subvariants. It is prevalent in India and made its way to North America and 20+ countries in the world thus far. We will all be seeing it soon.

*See US CDC chart below for the previous variant contagion (XBB1.5 from which this variant mutated...and the second pinned note)

“It does not appear to produce more severe disease, so for the moment it is a variant of interest and not a variant of concern,” said Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a43592554/arcturus-xbb16-new-covid-variant-what-to-know/

Main points

📌 Ability to avoid prior immunity from a previous infection due to spike protein mutation

📌 XBB.1.16 is likely to be more contagious than prior variants*

📌 XBB.1.16 likely to produce more high fever

📌 Coughing

📌 More conjunctivitis, and pink eye with inflammation of the insides of the eyelids

📌 Eyes that are itchy and red, esp.in children.

All or some of these symptoms are still as likely as before...

Most common symptoms of COVID-19 remain:

Fever or chills

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Fatigue

Muscle or body aches

Headache

New loss of taste or smell

Sore throat

Congestion or runny nose

Nausea or vomiting

Diarrhea

NEW:

New confusion, especially in adults age 65 years or older.

Digestive symptoms are more common

Tightness in the chest, or trouble catching their breath.

*The variant chart is updated in the comments or visit the CDC to keep track of variants in US HERE: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions

*Scroll though updates to see the changes in the sub-variants chart in the last year. It will help you understand why our immunity wanes so much over time, and why boosters targeting the most virulent in circulation are still so important.

This is the Whitehouse answer to COVID (not that COVID gives a shit)

In closing, know that COVID will never care that the CDC or the Whitehouse or antivaxxers or hospitals and clinics and dentists declare it over, which nearly all have.

I will still be wearing an N95 mask whenever I leave the house and am with people I do not know... You?