What new COVID-19 variant 'Arcturus' means for Australia

Variant XBB.1.16, nicknamed Arcturus, is part of the cluster of XBB variants now dominant in Australia.

The rise of Arcturus has seen it listed on the World Health Organisation's watch list.

Deakin University chair of epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett said the information out of India, where the variant had been rampant, suggested it looked a bit different.

"They're describing this pink eye, or like a viral conjunctivitis, which is a bit unusual," she said.

"But we don't know if that's going to be the case in Australia as well."

Professor Bennett said reports from overseas indicated that children had also been more at risk.

But, XBB.1.16 had been in Australia since February with "very little impact" on kids so far, she said.

Nationally, there was an 8.2 per cent drop in average daily cases in the week ending April 11.

Despite this, hospitalisations related to COVID-19 are still rising, up 13.3 per cent.

In Victoria alone hospitalisations have jumped 46 per cent.

Professor Bennett said the new variant didn't seem to be associated with more severe disease.

She said she wouldn't be surprised if case numbers continued to rise.

Globally major waves of COVID-19 were happening every six months, Professor Bennett said, as new variants emerged and immunity waned.

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Compared to COVID-19 waves in summer, winter waves had higher deaths per capita.

"You've got other things coming into the mix like your general health, how much mixing you do indoors, all of those things that can alter and make us more vulnerable in our winter," Professor Bennett said.

"So in that sense, I think everyone should be just that bit more aware."

She recommended mask-wearing, keeping your distance and practising hand hygiene while out and about, to try and avoid getting sick.

People aged 60 and older are also eligible for antivirals and Professor Bennett suggested having a plan in place.

"The faster you get antivirals, the more effective they are at keeping people out of hospital," she said.

Meanwhile, more than 300 residential aged care facilities are battling active COVID-19 outbreaks.

Nationally, cases among residents have jumped nearly 60 per cent in the first two weeks of April.

There were 1492 active resident cases and 551 staff cases as of April 13.

There were 33 new resident deaths between April 6 and April 13.

NSW has 90 facilities facing outbreaks, followed by Victoria with 65 and Queensland with 62.

South Australia has 36 active outbreaks in residential aged care, Western Australia has 35, Tasmania has 10 and the ACT has 4.

Only the Northern Territory has no active outbreaks in its residential aged care facilities.