NEW COVID-19 VARIANT POSSIBLY LINKED TO INCREASING CASE NUMBERS, SAYS WHO

COVID-19 cases are rising again due to a new variant, NB.1.8.1, circulating mainly in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and western Pacific regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.

The variant has been detected in travelers arriving in several U.S. states through airport screenings.

Although NB.1.8.1 now accounts for nearly 11 percent of sequenced samples globally, WHO classifies it as a “variant under monitoring” with low public health risk, and current vaccines are still effective.

Some countries in the western Pacific have reported increased COVID cases and hospitalizations, but there is no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness.

Meanwhile, the LP.8.1 variant remains the dominant COVID-19 strain both in the U.S. and worldwide.

Source: PhilNews24 | May 31, 2025