Britain ‘should open up spring Covid booster drive to ALL over-50s amid Arcturus fears’

The UK’s Covid vaccination campaign should immediately be opened up to all over 50s, experts say amid growing concern over Arcturus.

The new variant – believed to be the most contagious to emerge since the pandemic – already accounts for one in 40 news cases in the UK.

The explosion on the scene has sparked fears it could spark a new wave, mirroring chaotic scenes in India, where mask mandates have already been brought back to curb the resurgence of the virus.

The over 75s are the only age group currently eligible for a new Covid jab as part of the government’s latest booster programme.

However, all residents of care homes and anyone aged 12 and over who are at risk due to their health condition will also be offered one.

A separate Covid monitoring project, led by health tech company ZOE, has also found that Covid numbers have fallen since the end of March

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, told MailOnline that eligibility needs to be expanded.

He said: “We should at least be giving booster jabs to all over 50s to ensure that levels of protection against Arcturus and any other variants that arise are maintained for the next few months.

“Covid is not done with us yet and will continue to change.

“We must remain vigilant.”

Professor Young, who was critical of the government’s approach during the easing of anti-Covid measures last year, added: ‘The concern is that with reduced surveillance in the UK, declining immunity to previous infections and vaccinations, poor inclusion of the Spring booster jab, and the general level of complacency, we are not well equipped to deal with another wave of infection.”

Professor Anna Whittaker, an expert in vaccines and behavioral medicine from the University of Stirling, said: ‘Covid has not gone away.

“I would like to see it (another booster shot) offered at younger ages, such as the over-50s, if that were possible, as many in their 50s have significant comorbidities.”

The latest vaccine rollout in Britain began three weeks ago.

But, unlike the other stations, there hasn’t been much fanfare surrounding the project, with those eligible being contacted directly to arrange an appointment.

Health chiefs have made repeated requests to urge the vulnerable to come forward for the jab, but as people are mainly targeted through the NHS app in this rollout, there hasn’t been the same general level of public messaging.

India now accounts for 61 percent of all recorded cases of XBB.1.16, UKHSA officials warned. The dominant variant in the country, between March 20 and April 3, was the Arcturus strain in more than two-thirds (68 percent) of all recorded cases. Separate figures from the Oxford University-run platform Our World in Data show there were 9,526 new daily cases six days ago on April 18, up from 625 a month earlier

While the rapid rise in Covid cases is of some concern, it is still well below the devastating wave the country experienced in 2021 from the Delta variant

Other Omicron sub-variants include Kraken (XBB.1.5) and Orthrus (CH.1.1). Currently, Kraken remains the dominant strain in the UK, as of April 14, causing 44 percent of cases, while Omicron accounts for 8 percent and Arcturus for 2.3 percent, the UKHSA said.

Last year’s spring program also only offered jabs to the over-75s, but another booster jab in the fall also included the over-50s.

It comes as MailOnline revealed today that five Britons have already died after getting Arcturus.

Heads of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have uncovered 135 cases of the Omicron spin-off, which first reached Britain in mid-February.

Only one region, the Northeast, has yet to see it.

But the number of cases – based on genomic surveillance – will be vastly underestimated because only a fraction of samples are now thoroughly tested.

Surveillance data shows that the strain, scientifically named XBB.1.16, accounts for about 2.3 percent of all new cases.

Separate unofficial figures suggest around 65,000 Britons become infected each day.

Leading experts insist there is no evidence the species is more serious than others circulating.

Today, the disease caused by the coronavirus is very similar to that of the flu, unlike in the early days of the pandemic.

Dr. Simon Clarke, an infectious disease expert at the University of Reading, warned that concern about Arcturus is premature.

He said: “While we know that (Arcturus) has caused a handful of fatalities, we don’t know the circumstances surrounding those cases and it may be far too premature to react.

“The coming months and years will bring a constant wave of new Covid variants.

“But a panicked response to any response could lead to public indifference to something that might really require a concerted response.”

Professor Francois Balloux, a vocal commentator during the pandemic, from University College London, said the UK’s previous Kraken (XBB.1.5) Omicron subvariant wave could explain why Britain had not seen a similar explosion in cases.

“In places that didn’t have an XBB.1.5 wave (e.g. India or China), it’s expected to do well,” he said.

“Conversely, in places like the UK, it’s not expected to have much of an impact on case numbers, much less on hospitalizations and deaths.”

He added: ‘XBB.1.16 is still low frequency here in the UK, but it may become the next dominant variant in the future.’

Arcturus, technically known as XBB.1.16 but given its name by Covid variant trackers, has already reached places like India, where it has caused a 90-fold increase in cases and mask mandates have been imposed in the hardest hit areas.