THE UNDYING VIRUS
- Jaren B. Villanueva -
May 29, 2023
Flash News appears on the TV. Being half-asleep, you were surprised and confused. A news reporter then is at the screen, “A new COVID variant has been found!” You grunted in disbelief and annoyance, “There’s another one again? This is never going to end.”
Ever since the outbreak of the new virus, mostly known as CoVID-19, there has been a staggering amount of different subvariants that branch off from the original virus. There may be many of them but most of them are taken care of and there are only a few of them left.
These variants are currently scattered in many different places. The most dominant variant recorded right now is the XBB. 1.5, also known as “Kraken” is another subvariant of Omicron, making up over half of the cases (68.8%).
But there’s a different subvariant that was discovered in the Philippines. This April, Manila, Philippines received its first case of the most recent variant. XBB. 1.16, which is known as “Arcturus.” This variant has high transmissibility, which means it can infect people more effectively. It’s believed that it will become the most infectious subvariant and that it will beat the Kraken this summer.
There are symptoms of this variant like high fever and cough but there’s one that’s seen more commonly with this variant. Pink eye. Conjunctivitis or what’s commonly known as pink eye is a disease that causes your eyes to swell and irritate, making it have a bloodshot red color. It’s also itchy and will make your eyes tear up and water. Usually, pink eye would have pus but this variant’s symptom doesn’t.
After experiencing these symptoms, I would highly suggest going to the doctor and go have a check-up. If still unvaccinated, get the vaccine. The vaccine will act as our shield against the virus and it’ll help us fight back from it. As always, stay safe.