What is Covid ‘Acturus’ and do you have it?

Covid deaths and hospitalisations have soared, amid pleas for Victorians to get booster jabs and take other precautions to stem the spread and save lives.

Covid deaths and hospitalisations across the state have soared, amid pleas for Victorians to get booster jabs and take other precautions to stem the spread and save lives.

Thirty Covid deaths were reported to Victoria’s Department of Health in the past week alone.

“An average of four deaths were reported each day in the past week. This represents a 108 per cent increase when compared to the same period the previous month,” Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said on Friday afternoon.

And there were currently 297 Covid patients in Victorian hospitals — an increase of 46 per cent on last week — with 15 in intensive care and five on ventilators.

Prof Sutton said Covid cases had risen to 5811 in the past week, with an average of 830 new cases a day.

It follows the string of rising cases and hospitalisations over past weeks.

The spike in Victorian deaths and hospitalisations comes as a new Omicron sub variant - currently wreaking havoc in India - is being increasingly detected in Victoria, and becoming more dominant.

“Victoria continued to see an increase in Covid cases, hospitalisations and intensive care admissions this week . . . (with) Covid hospitalisations up 46 per cent,” Prof Sutton said.

“The increase in transmission is being driven by the combination of waning immunity and the growth in recent weeks of multiple Omicron recombinant sublineages, particularly XBB.1.5, XBB.1.9.1 and XBB.1.16.”

The XBB.1.16 strain, which is nicknamed Arcturus is sweeping India and creating chaos, with a warning from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the strain is “one to watch”.

The Omicron spin-off has also started spreading through the U.K and U.S.

Abdominal pain is a symptom of the XBB.1.16 variant, along with the symptoms common to other variants such as fever, sore throat, body pain and headaches.

The XBB.1.16. Covid strain sweeping India and causing chaos is rising in Victoria. Picture: AFP

Indian health workers at a hospital in Mumbai on April 10, 2023. Picture: AFP

The name Arcturus means ‘Guardian of the Bear’ and is related to the constellation called the Great Bear. Arcturus is also a red giant star and one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere.

Prof Sutton said with increasing Covid cases and hospitalisations across Victoria, now was the time to take steps to help reduce transmission and the impact on the state’s health system.

He said Victorians should take the following steps to “help stay ahead of Covid”.

1. Wear a mask

2. Get a 2023 booster: new bivalent vaccines targeting Omicron variants are available though GPs and pharmacies.

3. Let fresh air in: open windows and doors when you can, it reduces the spread of the virus

4. Get tested: if you have symptoms, take a rapid antigen test.

5. Stay at home: if you have Covid, you should stay at home for at least five days and until you have no symptoms.

6. Talk to your doctor: if you are at risk of falling very sick, you may be eligible for Covid medicines. Covid medicines work best taken within five days of getting sick, and the earlier the better.