The Voice News:A new COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, is causing a spike in infections in parts of the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday. The increase is most notable in the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific.
In the U.S., airport screenings have detected the variant in travelers from these regions arriving in California, Washington, Virginia, and New York.
This emergence coincides with a controversial shift in U.S. health policy. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently stated that COVID-19 vaccinations are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a decision met with concern by many public health experts.
The NB.1.8.1 variant now accounts for nearly 11% of sequenced cases globally as of mid-May. WHO has classified it as a “variant under monitoring,” assessing the global health risk as low. Current vaccines are still expected to provide protection.
Although some Western Pacific countries have reported rises in hospitalizations, the new variant does not appear more severe than existing strains. LP.8.1 remains the dominant variant in the U.S. and globally.
