New COVID Strain Brings Unusual New Symptom

LOS ANGELES, CA — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the new strain known as Arcturus, or XBB.1.16 accounts for 8% of COVID cases in California and 10% nationally.

It's spreading quickly, according to health officials, who confirmed the first local cases of the new strain last week. Though COVID cases remain low in Los Angeles, coronavirus levels in Los Angeles County wastewater are climbing, a spike coinciding with the arrival of the highly contagious new strain

Health authorities warn that the new strain, which caused a spike in cases in Inida, has an unusual new symption: extremely, itichy, watery eyes not to be confused with seasonal allergy symptoms. In children, it's been known to include pink eye.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statementFerrer said last week the link between Arcturus and pink eye is only from "observational data," and it remains too early to determine if the emergence of the new strain actually is linked to higher rates of conjunctivitis.

"However, residents should be aware that itchy, watery or red eyes may be a sign of a COVID-19 infection and these symptoms should not be simply dismissed as a result of pollen or seasonal allergies, especially if someone more vulnerable to severe illness could be exposed," according to the health department.

The number of new COVID-19 infections reported in Los Angeles County over the past week fell slightly compared to the prior week, health officials said. According to the county Department of Public Health, the small increase in wastewater concentrations of the virus could potentially indicate the beginning of a spread of a recently detected new strain of COVID-19, although the official number of local cases remains limited.

Overall, the county logged 2,659 new COVID infections for the week, down from 3,114 the previous week. Official case numbers, however, continue to be undercounts of actual virus activity in the county, due to the number of people who rely on at-home tests without reporting the results, and those who don't bother testing at all.

The seven-day average number of new hospital admissions related to COVID was 275 over the past week, down from 328 the previous week, according to the county. The number of virus-related deaths reported for the week was 54, up from 44 a week earlier.

As of Tuesday, the overall virus-related death toll in the county was 36,199.

County officials continue to monitor concentrations of the virus found in local wastewater streams, as a way of countering the lack of official reporting of new infections. The concentration had been holding steady at about 14% over the past month, but it rose to 18% for the week ending Wednesday, according to the Department of Public Health.

"Although we are facing the reality of a new Omicron strain gaining dominance and it is not yet possible to predict the impact, I am confident that the tools available to us, including vaccines, therapeutics and testing, can limit bad outcomes," said Ferrer said in a statement. "Because this new Omicron strain is still COVID, we know what works and what common-sense precautions make a difference. Public Health will continue to provide resources and updated information so that the knowledge we have can inform decisions that maximize our protections."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.