Fears that new ‘Arcturus’ Covid-19 virus could become dominant in UK and disrupt summer with new wave of infections
UK scientists warning
Top scientists in the UK are warning that the next pandemic is coming and that we’re not ready. Sir John Bell and Sir David King are among the leading scientists to argue that the UK is no better prepared than it was in 2020 as Arcturus has established itself as a variant of concern. This variant is considered by scientists to be 1.27 x more transmissible than earlier variations and has quickly established itself in 34 countries, including the United States where it is rapidly escalating. Doctors say the Arcturus strain’s mutation makes it highly transmissible, reports the Mirror. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said: “It tends to produce more fever than some of the other strains we’ve seen”. From the recent surge of Covid cases in India “the most distinctive feature is that it seems to have a tendency to produce conjunctivitis, particularly in children.” Dr Schaffner continued. Clearly, the UK needs to be alert to Arcturus. However, the wide spread covid-19 ‘fatigue’ or ‘apathy’ among the UK population has led to a reduction in personal protection measures which is sighted as being the primary cause of a difficult winter where both flu and Norovirus have concurrently been in wide circulation together with covid-19. This triple ‘whammy’ of illness has been the catalyst for staff shortages, holiday cancellations and other inconvenience, consequently damaging productivity across the UK economy. With summer rapidly approaching alertness is essential to avoid the disappointment of cancelled holidays and school exams.
What can be done to be vigilant?
Arcturus, also known as the XBB.1.16 strain, was first reported in January 2023, with the World Health Organization (WHO) deeming it a Variant of Interest on April 17. So what can be done to help prevent disruption to work and social lives just as school exams and the summer holiday season begins? Its easy but diligence is the key to successful protection…-
- Wear masks in public places where people are in close proximity
- Maintain a safe 2m distance from others
- Use hand santisers continuously throughout each day
- Monitor your temperature (with a professional device only) for signs of an elevated temperature which is indicative of fever and the possibility of Covid-19.
“ I enjoyed knowing straight away that I was safe and it was so easy ”
How to build resilience in the face of Arcturus
The easiest way to build resilience every day is to sanitise hands with devices such as a MistStation, a professional mist based sanitiser that’s very fast, contactless and kills 99.9% of germs. Secondly, check your temperature at least daily (Arcturus symptoms include a high fever) with a highly accurate, professional device like a FeverCheckerPro digital temperature monitoring system.
The combination of mist sanitisers and temperature monitoring provides a robust and vital protective response towards the normality which we all crave, especially as the optimism of summer approaches.
Ask us
We are a leader in sickness prevention through our innovations, so if you’d like to know more about how to protect you or your organisation from sickness or wellness and productivity, please don’t hesitate to contact us now on 0330 1 333 093 or email support@fevercheckerpro.com or use the button below to inquire about an entirely free trial. To summarise:
- Digital temperature health status checks are contactless and super fast
- Regular, daily checks reduce sickness in offices and in other premises
- Regular hand sanitisation helps stop hand to mouth virus & germs transfer which is especially essential when eating food!
- Take these measures and improve your resilience
- Safe offices are productive offices
