Cuba has not reported cases of a new variant of the Omicron xbb.1.16 coronavirus – Escambray

The so-called Arcturus is already circulating in more than 30 countries with the majority of cases in India.

As confirmed by Francisco Duran García, National Director of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, no cases of a new variant of the coronavirus Omicron xbb.

The expert specified that the country maintains border control to detect, in a timely manner, any suspicious case and closely follows the behavior of xbb.1.16 in the world.

It was recently classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). A new kind of interestdue to its rapid spread internationally, overtaking the xbb.1,5 variant that was prevalent in many regions.

First identified last January, this variant contains an additional spike protein mutation and shows a high degree of evidence of an increased risk of transmission and a moderate degree of immune escape, that is, It appears to be more contagious than previously and moderately resistant to the immune system.

Despite expanding faster than previously, the World Health Organization considers that it does not appear to cause more serious disease, so the risk is low.

High fever, cough, decay and conjunctivitis are among the most common symptoms, although there is not complete consensus on their causes.

A WHO report warns that due to its characteristics, xbb.1.16 could spread globally and cause an increase in the incidence of cases, but the available evidence does not indicate the adoption of additional health measures.