While figures from the Oxford University-run Our World in Data shows new daily cases reached 3,108 on April 4, up from 242 one month earlier.
A study by scientists at the University of Tokyo concluded that Arcturus is 1.2 times more infectious than the related Kraken Covid strain – also known as XBB.15.
They warned that the strain “will spread worldwide in the near future”.
Despite how transmissible the strain is, scientists believe it will not be particularly deadly, with symptoms resembling those of flu compared to other earlier variants.
