Hong Kong has detected seven cases of a highly infectious Omicron subvariant that has raised alarm overseas, authorities have said, although experts have stressed that the local infections should not be a cause for concern.
The Department of Health said on Monday seven cases of XBB.1.16, known as Arcturus, which was first detected in India earlier this year, were found among the samples collected in the city.
Top health expert Professor David Hui Shu-cheong of Chinese University on Monday said the subvariant was highly transmissive but the number of severe cases had not risen in the regions where it had been found.
“XBB.1.16 was found in a few samples in Hong Kong. I believe it can mostly be found in imported cases, as it was first found in India,” Hui told a radio programme.
“The transmissibility is quite high but the severity has not gone up. In the countries that have reported cases with this subvariant, there has been no increase in patients admitted to intensive care units or deaths … We do not need to be too worried.”