The Arturo variant, responsible for the wave of Covid-19 that is hitting India, has caused an increase in infections in children, even very young. Cases featuring a symptom rarely seen before with other Omicron family mutants. The eyes are mainly affected, with annoying complaints such as redness, burning and itching. Symptoms similar to an allergic conjunctivitis. This is described by the pediatrician Vipin M. Vashishtha, former coordinator of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and member of the Vaccine Safety Net (Vsn) initiative of the World Health Organization, among the first to shine the spotlight on the latest variant of Sars- Cov.2, Xbb.1.16.
“In recent days, reports of pediatric cases of Covid have restarted after an interval of 6 months – wrote the expert on Twitter last Thursday – A childhood phenotype seems to be emerging: newborns treated with high fever, cold and cough and itchy conjunctivitis and non-purulent with sticky eyes, not seen in previous waves”.
India saw a 70% increase in Covid-19 cases last week, with a total of more than 36,000 cases per week, the highest figure for about 7 months.